David Sullivan, joint chairman of West Ham, on why he, fellow chairman David Gold and vice chair Karren Brady failed to attend the club's defeat at Manchester City on Sunday:
Watching our poor away performances week after week, and not having the ability to influence things, has impacted on us. My family think I'm mad devoting so much time and money to the club and, as the match was on TV, I decided to watch it on TV.
We couldn't influence the result, we donated the cost of private plane to a charity for terminally ill children, we thought that would do more good. Had it not been on TV we would have been there. None of us draw any salary or expenses from West Ham United. We are not £20k-£60k-a-week footballers.
We only took 1,100 supporters. Like us the bulk of the West Ham United supporters preferred to watch it on TV. We'll be at Wigan as will 4,500 supporters.
Staggering.
Once again I read Sullivan's comments and wonder if he actually realises that he is in charge of the club rather than a fan. He can, you know, actually do something about the defeatist, despairing attitude many of us have, rather than spreading it to the coaches and players.
Effectively saying 'what's the point of turning up, we're were always going to lose' is utter genius management, at a time when the team needs to somehow turn a run of 6 consecutive defeats into 3 consecutive wins. I think it's impossible but I don't want to hear the owner of the club saying it.
If he noticed the lack of support at Manchester City, he aint seen nothing yet. Wait for next season and that midweek trip to Doncaster.