West Ham: “We are relegation favorites,” says fan after defeat to Brentford

These are difficult times for West Ham off the pitch too.

There were a large number of empty seats at the London Stadium on Monday as some fans boycotted the match and stayed away in protest against the club’s management.

While this was the first boycott, supporters had previously called for chairman David Sullivan and vice-chairman Karren Brady, who have been at West Ham since 2010, to stand down.

Thousands of fans demonstrated before last month’s defeat to Crystal Palace, and in response the club issued a lengthy statement,, external Saying they continue to “listen to fan feedback”, have made “significant investments in the football operation” and “continue to do everything we can to improve the matchday experience”.

Payne was one of the fans who walked away from the match for what he said was the first and last time he would do so.

He said: “There was a boycott, but the fans are not the problem. We are the solution we are waiting to hear.”

“It was a deliberate boycott to send a message to the owners that something has to change.”

Payne said that the fans’ protests target only the club’s owners, not the manager or the players.

But Nuno’s decision to start at full-back against Brentford raised some eyebrows.

“It’s unfair to Nuno and it’s unfair to the players as well,” Payne added.

“Nuno is a great guy, but I think he got a bit of a skewed selection last night by playing a young left-back – who’s never played anywhere else before – at right-back. Oli Skarles, I felt really sorry for him.”