Thanks. I dont mind Arsenal actually. My Grandad was a regular at Highbury so I certainly have no ill feeling towards your club whatsoever. Yeah I agree we are a fair way from the champions league but europa looks within reach this season. As I said, if we continue to build steadily and with a 54k seat stadium and the potential for future investment into the club, I see no reason why we cant be at your level and certainly above the spuds within the next 5-6 years. The Boleyn usually sells out now days so I would predict that although the OS might not be full every game, it certainly wont be the sparse, echoey atmosphere that some are predicting. Anyway. Good luck for the rest of the season. I hope you finish in the top 4 ahead of the spuds and the bindippers.
West Ham are miles away from reaching Arsenals level. The gap is absolutely huge between the two clubs. West Ham have had a good first half to the season and find themselves higher up the table than you'd expect but to think this somehow signals that your closing the gap on us as a club is ridiculous. What is your definition of the not so distant future? Remember that Arsenal are the third most successful club in the country in terms of silverware. They've never been relegated since entering the top division. Have won more than one double and had the invincibles. Currently Arsenal are in the top handful of clubs for global support and have financial deals (sponsorship etc) in place higher than any club in the league bar Utd (or did at the time of Utd's deal being signed). The club is owned by two billionaires and plays in one of the best stadiums in the world with some of the most up to date training facilities. Not to mention being one of the most valuable sports businesses in the world. City and Chelsea don't really have to play by the rules and are able to just spend what they like with clever ways of dealing with FFP, but Arsenal and Utd are better placed than any other clubs in the country in terms of financial position and FFP. Having been in the top four for the last 18 years and having one of the most respected managers in football mean we are able to attract the sort of players that West Ham couldn't dream of. Moving to a new stadium will be a big step for West Ham and good luck to them. But adding a couple of good players each season isn't going to all of a sudden have you on level terms with Arsenal. Bare in mind Arsenal have broken there transfer record multiple times in the last year and it's difficult to see how West Ham would match that level of spending.
And yet with half of the season gone, we are just 2 points behind you. And I wouldn't mind betting that in around 27 hours time we will be back above you. We are getting better and better whereas, despite spending close to £200M in the last three seasons, you appear to be staying the same. With careful management and planning and steady growth, we can be as big as we want to be. It wont happen overnight, but we are gaining on the big clubs.
The new stadium is a huge thing for the Hammers in terms of revenue. The success that Sam has brought will ensure more TV time too and that money is invaluable. From there you need a good marketing team, some European success (consistent top 6 finishes) and tours of other countries to boost popularity. It will take 10 years to get West Ham up to the level of Arsenal, but it is possible, and the very best of luck to you
League position is temporary and I highly doubt West Ham will be in the European spots come the end of the season. Even if they are and they finish above Arsenal, they still have a massive amount of catchup to do to get anywhere near the kind of club Arsenal are. Having half a good season doesn't somehow mean your not a fraction of the size of Arsenal. Your new stadium will still be sub-standard compared to the emirates, your sponsorship deals will still be minuscule in comparison, your fanbase will still be a tiny fraction of Arsenals, your club will still be valued far lower than Arsenal, and you'll still find it much harder to attract and pay the type of players required to be consistently at the top. If I were you I'd focus on getting to a similar level as Everton or spurs before you worry about becoming one of the top clubs in the country. It's a long way off and West Ham have a huge amount of catchup to do. The big clubs are spending and making more money than ever and so whilst West Ham might make the odd clever purchase, they will struggle massively to break into the top four, particularly on a consistent basis. Ask Liverpool or Tottenham who have a lot more going for them than West Ham in many ways, yet they've failed despite huge spending and some world class players to break the top of the table. As for us staying the same, when your at the top level that can be difficult to do, but the money being spent has given us two trophies and a semi decent title challenge in the last couple of years, so I'm not too disappointed, though we should have cracked on this season. Injuries can also not be overlooked. West Ham do have some great things going for them, being a decent sized London Club with a new stadium on its way, but that isn't going to be enough to overhaul the big clubs unless done over a very long period of time with the addition of one or more the big clubs falling from grace.
It'll take more than ten years for them to get to a point where they can negotiate the sort of deals we do, have the type of fanbase we do etc etc.... They don't have a sugar daddy pumping money into the club and natural growth like that takes years of stable, consistent performances and management along with a good stream of investment. I'd bet my house on west ham not being the bigger club than Arsenal in ten years.
