LONDON: West Ham United fans staged demonstrations against the club’s owners before their home Premier League derby against Crystal Palace on Saturday and a 2-1 defeat at the London Stadium only added to the early-season gloom at the club.
West Ham’s fourth defeat in five games left them third from bottom and with manager Graham Potter under increasing pressure.
Since being appointed as Julen Lopetegui’s successor in January, Potter has overseen only six league wins from 25 games.
By the final whistle there were swathes of empty seats and the cheers of the Palace fans was in marked contrast to the dejection of the home fans who had stayed to the end.
Thousands of them had gathered two hours before kickoff for two separate protests against the running of the club by chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady.
Many carried banners calling for change at the club which has been under the control of Sullivan and Brady since 2010.
“Sold our soul — 15 years of destroying West Ham United,” one banner said, relating to the club’s move away from its atmospheric Upton Park to the London Olympic stadium in 2016.
“Sold us a dream, we are living the nightmare,” another read.
The protests, organized by fan groups Hammers United and Crossed Hammers, came two weeks after West Ham’s Fan Advisory Board issued a vote of no confidence in the club board, accusing them of not capitalizing on the club’s UEFA Conference League triumph in 2023 and of providing a poor match-day experience.
In response, the club said it had taken steps to implement a new strategy and approach — particularly in the area of player recruitment and appointing Potter as head coach.
While West Ham’s woes continue, Palace are flying high with nine points from their opening five games.
Jean-Philippe Mateta nodded in a rebound after goalkeeper Alphonse Areola had pushed Marc Guehi’s header against the bar in the 37th minute.
There were boos from the home fans at halftime but the mood was briefly raised when Jarrod Bowen equalized with a header soon after the interval.
But Tyrick Mitchell slammed in a volley to win it for Palace.
Another protest by West Ham fans is planned for the home game against Brentford on Oct. 20.
