WELCOME to our first Premiership game of the 2005-06 season. I must say, just writing that takes me back to that glorious day at the Millennium Stadium in May and the feeling I had on hearing the referee blow the final whistle and can I thank all the fans who have stuck with the Club over our time in the Coca-Cola Championship and for their magnificent performance in Wales.
I know only too well what our Club means to so many.
I say 'our' Club because that is what I truly believe it is. I am the current Chairman, but I am here to serve the long-term interests of the Club and you, the fans. I know this Club is nothing without the fans. In this column, during the course of the season, I shall attempt to talk about many of the issues posed to me by supporters, answer questions raised and try to give you an insight into my role within the Club.
I have sat down and thought long and hard about these programme notes. Should Chairmen be anonymous figures working in the background or should they put themselves on the line and make themselves accountable? As the Club owe you, the fans, such an immense debt of gratitude I want to be as honest and frank as possible. You have stuck with us through the lean times and now deserve to taste a little success. That is what everyone working within the Club hope to bring you.
Alan Pardew and the players have done fantastically well to win promotion and we will do all we can to support Alan as he works to defy the bookies and stay up. With the board and the fans behind him, I believe he can.
I have personally learnt so much from our relegation, as I am sure the rest of the Board, the players and you, the fans, have. In a sense I was thrust into the limelight and became the focus of various hate campaigns. I have learnt from the experience and shall endeavour to do all I can to secure the long-term future of the Club for your children and your children's children.
If I put some blame at my door during the relegation season, I would like to praise my staff in the subsequent two seasons where we have steered the Club away from potential disaster and on a course towards long-term success. The long-term success of our Club, however, can only be achieved with the support of the fans. We can keep soul searching about the past or we can move forward together... Board and fans.
A recurring theme in letters and emails to me is Rio Ferdinand. Of course, I wish we still had Rio in the team, playing at the back with his brother Anton. How fantastic would that be? But the days of the one club player, like Trevor Brooking, are sadly long gone. Today there is so much money in the game and with agents advising the players, there is little the Club can do to force them to stay. All we can do is try to make our Club the club they want to play for.
It's upsetting for all of us when we see former Academy boys gracing the pitch for England and I wish we'd been able to hold on to them all. At least Rio left with dignity and he is a young man I have a lot of time for, but a club in our position cannot compete with £100,000 a week wages. We will offer players what we can afford because we must not risk the long-term financial health of the Club. As I have said, we must learn from our mistakes.
We want to be as ambitious as possible with our signings but, as we have seen this summer, we can't make someone sign. Alan and Managing Director, Paul Aldridge, have worked fantastically hard and signed some players who, I am sure, will go on to be great servants for West Ham United. Please support them and they'll soon know what a great Club they have joined.
Rumours continue to circulate about various individuals willing to invest in our Club. As I have always said, I will listen to anyone who can help West Ham move forward. As yet, we have received no credible bids. We are now in a position of strength with exciting, young players coming through the ranks and I don't want to see all the hard work of the last couple of years go to waste. A short-term gain could be long-term pain, but any serious proposition will be carefully studied.
I am not about protecting my position. I know I am a mere custodian of the Club. As administrators we work behind the scenes leaving the glory to the players. This column was borne out of criticism of me hiding myself away and an attempt to be as open and straight forward as possible.
West Ham United has a unique fan base. I've always known this but never has that been as apparent as during the last few years. When Chelsea was playing their first home Champions League game under the Abramovich regime, we had more fans at the Boleyn Ground for a League game against Bradford. Other teams know how loyal and passionate our fans can be and it is that passion that can see us do well in the Premiership.
I am saying the future is in your hands. Let's try and not allow ourselves to become the negative, always expecting perfection, 'booing at the first mistake' fans. Those fans are the domain of other clubs and those other clubs should be jealous of West Ham's most prized asset, namely the supporters.
Let's get that special feeling back at the Boleyn Ground. That feeling that sets us apart. Let's show every other team in the Premiership what it means to truly support your Club. YOU are West Ham United's claret and blue army.