‘They don’t understand’ – Simon Jordan urges angry football fans to be careful what they wish for

Simon Jordan has labelled dissenting fans as ‘militants’ after hearing of planned protests from a section of West Ham supporters. The West Ham Advisory Board recently issued a vote of no confidence pertaining to the running of the club, claiming they want greater ambition. In response, West Ham issued a statement this week reassuring fans that they are listening to feedback from the supporters groups. The statement conceded that the club ‘must do better’, whilst working with the Fan Advisory Board to improve the matchday atmosphere at the London Stadium. How are West Ham fans planning to protest? It comes after supporters’ group Hammers United urged fans to protest against the owners before Saturday’s clash at home to Crystal Palace. They have also called upon fans to boycott the next home league fixture against Brentford on October 20 – a game scheduled to be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK. However, former Crystal Palace owner Jordan has hit back at disgruntled fans amid what he perceives to be a growing protest culture when things are not going as planned. “I don’t have great empathy for [West Ham majority owner, David] Sullivan and the West Ham board but notwithstanding it, I find myself in a situation where I’m surprised at what’s happening,” Jordan told talkSPORT. “I don’t know if it’s a post-Covid reaction but we’ve got a society that seems to think it’s now able to be a bunch of militant activists that every time they don’t like something they’re able to protest against it. “And not just protest by having a right to an opinion. There is nothing wrong with having a right to an opinion,” he added. “Football fans are more emotionally involved in their football clubs than a lot of the owners that own them. “A lot of owners are not interested in the well-being of the football club, it’s an opportunity to leverage into something that they want. David Sullivan is under intense pressure to resign from sections of the West Ham fanbaseRex “They want commercial credibility, nation-state influence and if you’re fortunate to get a winning team because their motivation is achieved by that then you are a very lucky fan base and then you can complain when they start putting season ticket prices up like they do at Manchester City because they’ve had a good ride and they’ve forgotten about all of that. “So the balancing act is, how do you allow and give the god-given right to football fans to express their dissatisfaction and at the same time countenance the reality of this activism idea. “It’s one thing when a club is badly run and it’s going into jeopardy and points are being deducted. I understand the need for some extreme reaction.” Jordan continued: “When you’re not playing the way that you want your team to play and you’re not winning games, do we really have to go to this level now where the entitlement of football fans dictates that you will get out of their football club and you’ll do precisely what you want them to do or there’ll be consequences.” The talkSPORT co-host went on to defend the post of club owner by outlining its challenges as experiences during his time in charge at Selhurst Park. “None of these people, with respect to their passion, and commitment which is well appreciated have the faintest idea what it takes to run a football club,” he said. Simon Jordan referred to protesting fans as ‘militants’ that could end up changing the face of football ownership in England “They all think it’s a straight line and they all think if they were put in the situation, they’d all be able to do it quite easily. “They don’t understand any of the nuance, any of the complexity and they don’t care. “There’s an argument to say, why should they?” Jordan then painted a picture of what the alternative could look like if owners were eventually driven out of English football clubs. Be careful what you wish for “When you eventually land in a space where every football club in this country is owned by a foreign national that couldn’t care less about the heritage of the football clubs and no English people want to be bothered with owning football clubs because what goes with it is this toxic abuse every single time you make one misstep. “Then you’ve eventually got a league that decides it no longer wants to play in England and wants to play in the European Super League and then there is no promotion and relegation, you’ll be happy with the football world that you militant fans have created. Jordna believes there needs to be perspective when it comes to reasons to protestGetty “Fans have a right to have a view. It’s an emotional sport. You get people to watch a poor product, come back and pay it against the following week sometimes. “But there is a balance between what you are entitled to express your views on as a fan and the level.”

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‘They don’t understand’ – Simon Jordan urges angry football fans to be careful what they wish for

Simon Jordan has labelled dissenting fans as ‘militants’ after hearing of planned protests from a section of West Ham supporters.

The West Ham Advisory Board recently issued a vote of no confidence pertaining to the running of the club, claiming they want greater ambition.

In response, West Ham issued a statement this week reassuring fans that they are listening to feedback from the supporters groups.

The statement conceded that the club ‘must do better’, whilst working with the Fan Advisory Board to improve the matchday atmosphere at the London Stadium.

How are West Ham fans planning to protest?

It comes after supporters’ group Hammers United urged fans to protest against the owners before Saturday’s clash at home to Crystal Palace.

They have also called upon fans to boycott the next home league fixture against Brentford on October 20 – a game scheduled to be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK.

However, former Crystal Palace owner Jordan has hit back at disgruntled fans amid what he perceives to be a growing protest culture when things are not going as planned.

“I don’t have great empathy for [West Ham majority owner, David] Sullivan and the West Ham board but notwithstanding it, I find myself in a situation where I’m surprised at what’s happening,” Jordan told talkSPORT.

“I don’t know if it’s a post-Covid reaction but we’ve got a society that seems to think it’s now able to be a bunch of militant activists that every time they don’t like something they’re able to protest against it.

“And not just protest by having a right to an opinion. There is nothing wrong with having a right to an opinion,” he added.

“Football fans are more emotionally involved in their football clubs than a lot of the owners that own them.

“A lot of owners are not interested in the well-being of the football club, it’s an opportunity to leverage into something that they want.

David Sullivan is under intense pressure to resign from sections of the West Ham fanbase

“They want commercial credibility, nation-state influence and if you’re fortunate to get a winning team because their motivation is achieved by that then you are a very lucky fan base and then you can complain when they start putting season ticket prices up like they do at Manchester City because they’ve had a good ride and they’ve forgotten about all of that.

“So the balancing act is, how do you allow and give the god-given right to football fans to express their dissatisfaction and at the same time countenance the reality of this activism idea.

“It’s one thing when a club is badly run and it’s going into jeopardy and points are being deducted. I understand the need for some extreme reaction.”

Jordan continued: “When you’re not playing the way that you want your team to play and you’re not winning games, do we really have to go to this level now where the entitlement of football fans dictates that you will get out of their football club and you’ll do precisely what you want them to do or there’ll be consequences.”

The talkSPORT co-host went on to defend the post of club owner by outlining its challenges as experiences during his time in charge at Selhurst Park.

“None of these people, with respect to their passion, and commitment which is well appreciated have the faintest idea what it takes to run a football club,” he said.

Simon Jordan referred to protesting fans as ‘militants’ that could end up changing the face of football ownership in England

“They all think it’s a straight line and they all think if they were put in the situation, they’d all be able to do it quite easily.

“They don’t understand any of the nuance, any of the complexity and they don’t care.

“There’s an argument to say, why should they?”

Jordan then painted a picture of what the alternative could look like if owners were eventually driven out of English football clubs.

Be careful what you wish for

“When you eventually land in a space where every football club in this country is owned by a foreign national that couldn’t care less about the heritage of the football clubs and no English people want to be bothered with owning football clubs because what goes with it is this toxic abuse every single time you make one misstep.

“Then you’ve eventually got a league that decides it no longer wants to play in England and wants to play in the European Super League and then there is no promotion and relegation, you’ll be happy with the football world that you militant fans have created.

Jordna believes there needs to be perspective when it comes to reasons to protest

“Fans have a right to have a view. It’s an emotional sport. You get people to watch a poor product, come back and pay it against the following week sometimes.

“But there is a balance between what you are entitled to express your views on as a fan and the level.”