Stefan Borson: West Ham have lost 6-figure sum as full extent of cover-up revealed
West Ham’s owners are under increasing pressure from the fans following their disappointing start to the season.
Graham Potter was sacked as the West Ham manager on 27 September after his side claimed just one win from their opening six games in all competitions.
West Ham have since hired Nuno Espirito Santo as Potter’s replacement, but the Portuguese boss has failed to win any of his first four matches in charge.
Some West Ham fans boycotted the game against Brentford on 20 October in protest against the club’s ownership.
The Bees claimed a comfortable 2-0 victory at the London Stadium, where the official attendance wasn’t announced by the Hammers.
West Ham financial impact revealed after boycott
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider it’s difficult for a team to succeed when there is a “crisis” around the club.
West Ham currently sit second-bottom in the Premier League table and are four points from safety after nine games.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the impact of the boycott, Borson said: “I mean, a lot of it is season tickets anyway, so probably from a financial perspective, it’ll have limited impacts because you’re looking only at what the average spend is per person in the stadium.
“It’s probably not that significant, certainly less than £1million. In terms of the difference between those people being there and not being there, I would think it’s less than £1m.”
West Ham fans protested against their owners before their 2-1 defeat against Crystal Palace on 20 September, with calls for majority shareholder David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to leave.
West Ham fan protests impacting on-field results
Borson believes the poor performances on the pitch are linked to the current uncertainty surrounding the club.
“Of course, there are not many teams that can succeed when there’s a sort of crisis around the club,” said Borson.
“If you’re in a crisis, it tends to affect what’s going on on the pitch. The two things are obviously connected, but if you have this situation where you’ve got nobody in the stadium, with 20,000 people not turning up, then of course it’s likely to impact on the pitch.
“But the reality is that they have taken action. They sacked the manager. They brought in a very highly-rated new manager, who’s done a good job elsewhere.”
West Ham are set to take on Newcastle United in their next game at the London Stadium on Sunday (2 November).
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