Written by: George M.
The past few years have seen the club’s ownership get put under scrutiny for their running of the club and broken promises of their 2010 purchase. It’s safe to say that plenty of fans would happily welcome an interest from a wealthy businessperson and see the back of the ‘dildo’ brothers reign on the club.
Newcastle United have been in a similar position to us for years where a potential sleeping giant was being held back at its leash held by tyrannical ownership. Suffering a couple of relegations and no real investment in the squad, the Geordie fans have had it bad for over ten years now, yet their disgruntlement may be coming to an end.
The Magpies have been the topic of a takeover bid from a Saudi Royal Family backed consortium. The potential new owners are supplied by an investment fund with $320 billion of assets under management which would pretty much give them endless purchasing power. It goes without saying that the Newcastle fans are obviously licking their lips at this news and are counting down the days until something official is announced.
It’s fair to say that many West Ham fans are envious at the news coming from the North East and are asking why we were not the ones considered for a takeover by the consortium. West Ham have huge potential to become a heavy hitter in not only English football, but globally too, so why were we ignored when new owners come sniffing around? However, let’s ask ourselves, would we actually want a takeover such as Newcastle’s?
The obvious argument for it is the lure of winning countless trophies and bringing in the world’s top players. Look at how Man City have been transformed from a lowly mid table team into one of the world’s best teams. Look how PSG went from Ligue 1 new boys to winning 4 consecutive league titles under their Qatari ownership. Yet something still lingers over the transformation. Their previous values, history and traditions have almost been forgotten. To a club like ours, who have already had a lot taken from us, we rely on our past identity to remind us why we love our club and why we support West Ham.
These takeovers always come with the price of losing club values and Newcastle are set to join a list of clubs with traditional working-class histories turning into ‘Nouveau Riche’ institutions where half the stadiums are full of tourists and corporate entertainment schemes. West Ham have already had a taste of this with Karren Brady’s regime as Vice Chairmen running day to day operations. This once proud working-class club has already had its share of social changes instated on itself.
Perhaps our experiences with a changing club ideology would set us up nicely for a large middle eastern takeover such as Newcastle’s but a club’s fortunes can be changed without ripping the heart out of it (case in point, Leicester City). There are other ways to be successful without selling your soul. So, what would people be happier to do? Cash in on success but lose our identity, or wait it out in mediocrity but hang onto what we do have left?
