Joint-Chairman David Gold staged a successful first fans forum of the new season at the Boleyn Ground on Thursday night.
More than 150 supporters gathered in the Legends Lounge for the evening event which followed on from Joint-Chairman David Sullivan addressing supporters earlier in the summer. It lasted for three hours and saw questions fielded on a range of subjects.
The topics discussed included the Olympic Stadium and the new manager and 12 summer signings, as well as his feelings of being back to full health and relishing the season ahead.
"I feel fantastic," the Joint-Chairman said with a smile when quizzed about his recovery from an illness that meant he missed several matches last season. He revealed he was running every day, exercising and eating healthily. So much so that he has "not had a decent meal in months!".
The evening's tone ranged from such light-hearted chat to serious reflection, with the Joint-Chairman talking passionately about the events of last season and reflecting on the Board-wide desire to get the club back to the top flight as soon as possible. He was emphatic in stating that "Sam Allardyce is one of the best signings we have ever made ... I promise you he is going to be an exceptional manager."
There was a warm round of applause for the Board's success in the transfer window and one supporter spoke up to urge all fans that from now on they had a responsibility to get behind every single player. The Joint-Chairman spoke about his dealings with the new recruits like Henri Lansbury, Sam Baldock and in particular Kevin Nolan - the "best leader of men he's seen in 20 years".
A constant theme of the night was the subject of the Olympic Stadium with the Joint-Chairman updating on the ongoing process while affirming the Board's commitment to only doing what's best for West Ham United. He touched on the club's long-stated proposals for the future transformation of the "world iconic stadium" - and how it would be West Ham in look, feel and stature.
"The heart and soul of this club is owned by the fans. David Sullivan and I are merely holding the keys. I can sit out there with you as a fan and stand up here as a chairman but I am just a custodian hopefully doing a good job for you guys. The heart and soul of our football club will be going to the Olympic Stadium and we are going to take as much history there as we can.
"We won't leave anything of importance behind. Are we going to take the character from here to there? Of course we are. We are going to take everything, even these chairs! I can't be 100 per cent specific but Bobby Moore will be represented there ... we have got to be courageous. We have got to say we can do this and take this fantastic opportunity."
Also touched upon was the progress of the Academy and the commitment to young talent coming through, the departure of Scott Parker and his thoughts on the matches so far this season.
The Joint-Chairman had begun the evening by claiming "the idea is for us to engage in a conversation" and pretty much everyone in the room had the opportunity to speak on that basis as the night progressed.
Once the session was over, he then signed autographs and spoke to anyone left who still had a query or two to answer before being the last to leave the Legends Lounge.
