Some West Ham United fans would accept relegation from the Premier League, as long as it meant the owners left the club.
That’s the view of former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino, who believes a section of supporters feel starting again in the Championship could be the best thing for the Hammers.
After Norwich City’s victory over Leicester City on Friday night, West Ham find themselves three points above the bottom-placed side in the division and firmly entrenched in a relegation battle.
Results have proved difficult to pick up this season, despite the costly acquisitions of Pablo Fornals, Sebastien Haller and Jarrod Bowen. Further protests are planned for this weekend against the ownership of the club as the #GSBOUT (Gold, Sullivan and Brady) movement continues to grow.
With a tricky home fixture against a revitalised Southampton side on Saturday afternoon to contend with, the Irons know full well three points is a must at the London Stadium if they are to remain in the division.
And despite a strong showing against Premier League champions-elect Liverpool on Monday night at Anfield, Cascarino admits the mood in east London is far from ideal amidst the backdrop of demonstrations.
“Today is going to be a tough one because, first of all, the atmosphere is going to be quite toxic at the London Stadium,” Cascarino told the Weekend Sports Breakfast.
“The feelings of the fans are going to be vetted at the owners of the football club and it is a relegation battle and the players need the fans onside.
“But it is going to be a weird atmosphere. They [the fans] really have got such a dislike for their owners that, I think if they thought they could get rid of the owners and go down, in some ways it would be a new start for the football club.
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“And it is something they would consider as an option. There are a number of West Ham fans, and I do live in south London, and there are a lot of West Ham fans that think – ‘We don’t care if we go down, we just want to get rid of these owners.’
“Of course, Premier League football is pivotal to the football club, but with what they have achieved in recent years I just feel the anti-owners is an issue for the club.
“As players, all you want to do is go out there and try and put on a performance. What they did on Monday night [at Liverpool] was terrific.
“They lost a game against a team that have been unbeatable and invincible so far this season and they caused them a lot of problems.”
