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You can kick us when we’re down – but we’ll always get up again
karren brady
LET'S get things straight - the only kicking anyone has had this week is West Ham but we can take it.
We've made mistakes this season and held our hands up.
We are hurting over relegation but now it is all about promotion - not just because of our league position but also in terms of pushing forward the reality of a proud club with solid finances, proper fans and a strong tradition.
Like our sold-out end-of-season dinner this week, we stand up and face difficult times head on.
Sure other clubs might have cancelled but we had a duty to 800 fans that had paid good money to attend a long-planned event. The night raised more than £150,000 for the academy.
What you haven't read is that, to a man, the players were exemplary. Led by Scott Parker, they stayed for more than five hours.
There was no roped-off VIP area, no rushing the players in and then out the back door. No hiding.
The squad listened to what fans had to say and shared their own frustrations. Even when one guest went too far for a mindless minute or two, the players remained and kept cool. They played their part in a successful evening.
Compare our column inches to another end-of-season dinner on the same night where some players - still with a big game to play - were out until 4am drinking. We'd have had Royal Wedding-sized coverage had that been us.
Ours was not a celebration and certainly not a party, as some wrongly claimed, but it was right to have a night where fans could respect the academy and their Hammer of the Year.
Everyone has had their say and there is nothing wrong with fair comment.
But hyped accounts of trouble are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to describing a season where fact has been replaced by fiction.
One paper used two different writers, who barely go the Boleyn, to claim we're the worst-run club. Maybe they think saying it twice makes it more believable.
You can kick us when we're down - but we'll always get up again.
The past
LOSING our Premier League status was not for the want of trying.
Last summer we signed eight players, including a top German international and three of the star young players from the World Cup.
Not one key player left despite other clubs wanting Rob Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole.
Avram Grant was set no silly targets, no talk of Europe. We said: "Keep us up."
He was given extra training-ground staff and his personal needs met - including a driver, new office and an upgraded expensive analysis system.
When things got tough, we backed him again - January signings like Wayne Bridge, Robbie Keane and Demba Ba.
Avram was given every chance but he could not deliver. When the time to part came after the last game, it was done privately and amicably.
He asked the club to delay the announcement or tell staff for 30 minutes until all the post-match duties had been carried out and the squad had left. That wish was respected. We gave him the option of a car to take him home but he chose to travel with the team.
The present
KEVIN KEEN is in temporary charge. A man schooled as a player under the great John Lyall, who began his coaching work at the club under Tony Carr.
He knows the club inside out and the talented youngsters we have coming through. Listen to him on whether this club can come back stronger. He speaks his mind with passion and commitment.
As owners, we are also not shy in having our say - but we have a commitment to be open and honest with fans.
We don't hide our success as businessmen or that we came from humble beginnings.
We won't apologise for who we are or that we have spoken out at times during two seasons of struggles on the pitch but far more has been said and written by those with no clue about the club.
Unlike them, we have the best interests at heart. Ask us a question and we will answer. But that also means we are listening.
We act on constructive criticism. Fans are entitled to say what they like. They support the club.
Everyone else can have their view but we'll only listen to the 35,000 who watch us every home game.
The future
WEST HAM were in a critical condition when we came in 18 months ago.
You all know the story but that fact remains.
We put our own money in, steadied the ship. We took difficult decisions and made the Olympic Stadium a priority.
Where would we be now if we had stood idly by after arriving?
That focus on Stratford was vital. We recognised how crucial it was to the club's future and for the Borough of Newham. It is a partnership plan that has had its legacy vision endorsed, with understanding that short-term league position has no bearing.
What counts is ambition, energy and determination along with a very good business plan.
When we were made preferred bidder in March, it was a momentous decision that galvanised the club.
We were also careful to largely keep it separate from the first team. Avram was free to focus on his work - he never visited the stadium - and not asked to promote it in the Press.
The Olympic Stadium will be superb for everyone and is a true positive. We know that won't mean much now to fans upset about our relegation but they know what it'll do long-term at every level of the club.
To lead us there, we need a strong manager and we will make the right appointment.
We'll continue to put our world-class academy first and do our job off the field, but the priority is getting straight back to the Premier League.
It is interesting to see people ruling themselves out in the media without so much as an approach or a phone call from the club.
We'll get the right man and when all is said and done next season, we will hold another gala dinner to celebrate all that is great about West Ham.
Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
You can kick us when we’re down – but we’ll always get up again
karren brady
LET'S get things straight - the only kicking anyone has had this week is West Ham but we can take it.
We've made mistakes this season and held our hands up.
We are hurting over relegation but now it is all about promotion - not just because of our league position but also in terms of pushing forward the reality of a proud club with solid finances, proper fans and a strong tradition.
Like our sold-out end-of-season dinner this week, we stand up and face difficult times head on.
Sure other clubs might have cancelled but we had a duty to 800 fans that had paid good money to attend a long-planned event. The night raised more than £150,000 for the academy.
What you haven't read is that, to a man, the players were exemplary. Led by Scott Parker, they stayed for more than five hours.
There was no roped-off VIP area, no rushing the players in and then out the back door. No hiding.
The squad listened to what fans had to say and shared their own frustrations. Even when one guest went too far for a mindless minute or two, the players remained and kept cool. They played their part in a successful evening.
Compare our column inches to another end-of-season dinner on the same night where some players - still with a big game to play - were out until 4am drinking. We'd have had Royal Wedding-sized coverage had that been us.
Ours was not a celebration and certainly not a party, as some wrongly claimed, but it was right to have a night where fans could respect the academy and their Hammer of the Year.
Everyone has had their say and there is nothing wrong with fair comment.
But hyped accounts of trouble are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to describing a season where fact has been replaced by fiction.
One paper used two different writers, who barely go the Boleyn, to claim we're the worst-run club. Maybe they think saying it twice makes it more believable.
You can kick us when we're down - but we'll always get up again.
The past
LOSING our Premier League status was not for the want of trying.
Last summer we signed eight players, including a top German international and three of the star young players from the World Cup.
Not one key player left despite other clubs wanting Rob Green, Matthew Upson, Scott Parker and Carlton Cole.
Avram Grant was set no silly targets, no talk of Europe. We said: "Keep us up."
He was given extra training-ground staff and his personal needs met - including a driver, new office and an upgraded expensive analysis system.
When things got tough, we backed him again - January signings like Wayne Bridge, Robbie Keane and Demba Ba.
Avram was given every chance but he could not deliver. When the time to part came after the last game, it was done privately and amicably.
He asked the club to delay the announcement or tell staff for 30 minutes until all the post-match duties had been carried out and the squad had left. That wish was respected. We gave him the option of a car to take him home but he chose to travel with the team.
The present
KEVIN KEEN is in temporary charge. A man schooled as a player under the great John Lyall, who began his coaching work at the club under Tony Carr.
He knows the club inside out and the talented youngsters we have coming through. Listen to him on whether this club can come back stronger. He speaks his mind with passion and commitment.
As owners, we are also not shy in having our say - but we have a commitment to be open and honest with fans.
We don't hide our success as businessmen or that we came from humble beginnings.
We won't apologise for who we are or that we have spoken out at times during two seasons of struggles on the pitch but far more has been said and written by those with no clue about the club.
Unlike them, we have the best interests at heart. Ask us a question and we will answer. But that also means we are listening.
We act on constructive criticism. Fans are entitled to say what they like. They support the club.
Everyone else can have their view but we'll only listen to the 35,000 who watch us every home game.
The future
WEST HAM were in a critical condition when we came in 18 months ago.
You all know the story but that fact remains.
We put our own money in, steadied the ship. We took difficult decisions and made the Olympic Stadium a priority.
Where would we be now if we had stood idly by after arriving?
That focus on Stratford was vital. We recognised how crucial it was to the club's future and for the Borough of Newham. It is a partnership plan that has had its legacy vision endorsed, with understanding that short-term league position has no bearing.
What counts is ambition, energy and determination along with a very good business plan.
When we were made preferred bidder in March, it was a momentous decision that galvanised the club.
We were also careful to largely keep it separate from the first team. Avram was free to focus on his work - he never visited the stadium - and not asked to promote it in the Press.
The Olympic Stadium will be superb for everyone and is a true positive. We know that won't mean much now to fans upset about our relegation but they know what it'll do long-term at every level of the club.
To lead us there, we need a strong manager and we will make the right appointment.
We'll continue to put our world-class academy first and do our job off the field, but the priority is getting straight back to the Premier League.
It is interesting to see people ruling themselves out in the media without so much as an approach or a phone call from the club.
We'll get the right man and when all is said and done next season, we will hold another gala dinner to celebrate all that is great about West Ham.
Read more: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]
