West Ham United

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, PA Media

Baroness Karren Brady has long been seen as a leading woman in football, a trailblazer who others followed, but many West Ham fans see her as one of the main figures responsible for taking the club away from its roots, relocating to a hated athletics stadium and landing the club in its present state.

One of the most significant figures in the game, Brady has polarised opinion, never frightened to voice a view, no matter how controversial, and even using the House of Lords as a platform to voice the Premier League's opposition to the football regulator.

Yet for all her forceful and powerful personality, at West Ham she will forever be known as the third member of the trio responsible for moving the club out of their beloved, but antiquated, Boleyn Ground and into London Stadium.

With current majority owner David Sullivan and long-time business partner David Gold, who died in January 2023, Brady helped negotiate a hugely favourable deal to move into the Olympic Stadium in 2016.

The plan was to turn West Ham into an elite club and regular European contenders. It did not turn out the way envisaged.

Many long-time fans were against the move in the first place. The distance from the pitch to the stands and a lack of atmosphere, created in part by below-par performances, only widened the disconnect.

Sullivan, Gold and Brady were subjected to venomous abuse, which continues and is partly responsible for her decision to leave with immediate effect as the club battles to avoid relegation.

There were positives.

The 2023 Conference League final win against Fiorentina in Prague will go down as one of the best nights in West Ham's history - part of a run of three successive European campaigns, something the club had never done before.

West Ham have also been in the Premier League since 2012 - and are bidding to extend their longest consecutive run of top-flight seasons since the 1960s, when World Cup heroes Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst were in their pomp.

The 'Moore, Peters, Hurst' statue outside London Stadium is significant, as are aesthetic changes, like the maroon carpet behind the goal, which at least helps to create a sense of 'West Ham' at the ground.

Brady always felt if she had been given the chance, she could have delivered the lucrative naming rights deal that is yet to be negotiated.

But, for many, Brady's achievements at West Ham are far outweighed by the negatives that surround the stadium move.

It could well be that in 20 years' time, when the arguments have stopped, she gets credit for looking to a brighter future for the club. But in the here and now, most West Ham fans will be glad she has gone.

Read more on Brady's exit

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We asked for your views on Baroness Karren Brady stepping down as West Ham vice-chair after 16 years.

Here are some of your comments:

Nicky: Good riddance. We are in debt and have been badly mismanaged. Now get David Sullivan [majority owner] out.

Lee: There won't be many supporters who are unhappy with the news... hopefully Sullivan is right behind her going through the door.

Michael: Her decision to step down is 15 years too late! As she is being credited with being instrumental in our move from Upton Park, without her perhaps we wouldn't be in a place that will never be home. Just need to get rid of Sullivan now.

John: Should have stepped down after the move. She has no clue about customer service/fan engagement or what it takes to make a football club successful. I wish her well in her next step but hope she's learnt the lessons she gives on The Apprentice.

Murray: There certainly has been a disconnect between Brady and the supporters. For someone so involved in the media world, it has been disappointing to witness this failure. Daniel Kretinsky [West Ham's joint-chair] should reflect closer to home.

James: I believe a change is overdue. Best wishes to Karren.

James Jones
Fan writer

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It is easy to look at the 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace on Monday as a negative result.

The chance to go four points clear of Tottenham and pile further pressure on them in the relegation battle was there to be taken, but I have always been a big believer in the saying: 'Respect the away point'.

The reality is a two-point cushion over Spurs means all we need to do is match their results over the next five games to secure survival. That is more than achievable.

Tottenham travel to already-relegated Wolves on Saturday, but that does not present the guaranteed victory many will be expecting.

We have seen many times before how relegated teams suddenly start picking up results. They play without pressure, with more freedom and some players even start playing better with their immediate futures at risk.

Meanwhile, despite Roberto de Zerbi showing signs of getting a bit of a tune out of his Spurs squad, we do not know just how damaging that last-minute Brighton equaliser at the weekend has been to their mentality. It was already fragile.

After that, Spurs still play Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton - all of which are difficult fixtures against teams that still have something to play for.

We host Everton at London Stadium, where we have been much improved of late. We have not lost a league game at home since Nottingham Forest in January, picking up impressive results against Sunderland, Bournemouth, Manchester United and Manchester City in that time.

It is our home form that will dictate our fate and that is where we are better right now.

So Monday's draw, albeit not ideal, is still a good point and keeps us primed to achieve survival.

This is going to go to the wire - and we are the team with the confidence, form and mentality to get over the line.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

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Baroness Karren Brady has stepped down from her position as vice-chair of West Ham United after 16 years at the Premier League club.

Her decision comes amid the Hammers' fight to avoid top-flight relegation, with Nuno Espirito Santo's side sitting just two points above the drop with five matches left to play.

The 57-year-old took up her role at West Ham United in January 2010 after joint-chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan bought the club.

Prior to that, she had been appointed as managing director at Birmingham City after Gold and Sullivan bought into the club in March 1993.

Reflecting on her tenure in a club statement, Baroness Brady said: "It has been a privilege to work alongside the board, management, players, staff and supporters at West Ham United.

"Together we have achieved remarkable milestones, but the highlight for me will always be lifting the Europa Conference League trophy - a moment that will stay with me forever.

"I am deeply grateful for the relationships, challenges and opportunities that have shaped my time at the club."

Baroness Brady also led negotiations to secure the club's move to the London Stadium and built a season ticket base of more than 50,000 supporters.

"Her contribution to our growth, such as the long-term contract for the London Stadium, shareholders transition and the British record transfer of Declan Rice, has been absolutely essential and not always fully appreciated," said joint-chair Daniel Kretinsky.

What do you think about the announcement? Was this the right time for Baroness Brady to go? How big an impact will this have on the club moving forward?

Let us know your thoughts here

We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between Crystal Palace and West Ham United at Selhurst Park.

Here are some of your comments:

Crystal Palace fans

Al: A dour draw against a fighting West Ham side. I'm worried about Brennan Johnson, he looks lost and out of confidence. Perhaps a break before next season will help. Another game of seeing Jaydee Canvot getting better and better. Anfield up next against a shaky Liverpool, which might just be ideal for Palace.

Richard: Humdrum stuff from Palace, but teams in West Ham's position can be hard to play against. Johnson did himself no favours with that miss though. Dean Henderson's save was worth the admission though. I'm not grumbling after Thursday.

D Lowe: If Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta had started, this was a game Palace should've won. I'm not happy that two points were lost. We fielded a weaker team at the start, which is never good. Canvot has definitely replaced Marc Guehi, and he still has years of playing time.

Dave: The performance was kind of expected from Palace. It was a good point against a fired up West Ham. We missed Adam Wharton and we were too slow in transition. The substitutes made an impact in the second half, but we didn't do enough to win the match. I'm really pleased we didn't get any new injuries as the main focus is the Europa Conference League game!

West Ham fans

Chris: I can't help feeling it was a missed opportunity for three points, but it was still a good and confidence-building performance. Jarrod Bowen was kept quiet by their left-back and Crysencio Summerville isn't back to his best. So while the defence claims another clean sheet, there's better to come up front. It just has to happen soon.

Sue: It's so frustrating watching at the moment. They are playing well but they can't seem to score. They have to keep going and keep thinking positively. A point away to Palace is a good effort.

Norbet: We didn't have the decisive edge to win against Palace, who had no motivation and no chance of gaining European football. It's looking decidedly like the Championship beckons for a poor West Ham side.

James: Very cagey but the old adage of 'if you can't win then don't lose' comes to mind. If a point is all it takes for survival come the final day, this will be priceless.

Bubba: If only we had played like this throughout the whole season. It remains to be seen if this turnaround will be sufficient enough or too little too late. I hope the fans who worked to get David Moyes out are admitting, at least to themselves, that they are responsible for our current predicament.

Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham's draw against Crystal Palace on Monday night, means it is essentially 'as you were' in the battle against relegation, with Tottenham still two points from safety as they fight to avoid a first top-flight demotion since 1977.

Leeds and Nottingham Forest were the two big winners from the latest round of fixtures as both claimed big home wins to move eight and five points from the drop zone, respectively.

For Daniel Farke's Leeds side, that might prove to be enough and they will hope they soon find themselves excluded from the relegation conversation.

But, with Wolves now gone and Burnley set to follow, there is still work for all four sides to do in the coming weeks.

But for all De Zerbi's faith in his players' capabilities, the evidence of this season does not suggest a team capable of winning five on the bounce.

Spurs have not won any of their past 15 league games, meaning they are without a top-flight victory in 2026 and have managed only two since 26 October.

They must beat bottom side Wolves on Saturday to avoid equalling the club's worst-ever winless league run - set some 91 years ago, between 1934 and 1935.

By contrast, the form of Spurs' relegation rivals has been picking up.

Leeds have won back-to-back games to move to the brink of safety, Forest have two wins in their past three games and are unbeaten in five and West Ham have won two of their past five.

Zoom out a little further and the Hammers have taken 19 points from their past 12 games, Forest have 18 from their past 13 and for Leeds it's 18 from 14.

Since beating Palace on 28 December, Spurs have taken six points from 15 matches.

With five games remaining, Spurs will definitely think their run-in, at least on paper, gives them every chance of staying up.

Next up is a trip to Wolves, whose relegation to the Championship was confirmed on Monday night.

A home match against Leeds on 11 May is another Tottenham will view as an opportunity, especially if Daniel Farke's side have beaten Burnley at Elland Road in their previous game and essentially ensured their safety.

Even a tricky looking match at Champions League-chasing Aston Villa on 3 May comes at a good time for Spurs, as it falls between the two legs of the Europa League semi-final for Unai Emery's men.

A visit to rivals Chelsea before hosting Everton on the final day is not a straightforward way to finish given both teams seem likely to be fighting for European places.

But given how tight things are, that is something all the relegation candidates will have to deal with.

West Ham host Everton on Saturday before an away game at Brentford - and it only gets tougher with title-chasing Arsenal the visitors to London Stadium on 10 May.

Even with Newcastle enduring a disappointing season, an away game at St James' Park on the penultimate weekend is far from simple and there could be plenty riding on the home match against Leeds on the last day.

Forest arguably face the toughest last five with away games at Chelsea and Manchester United in May - the former coming just three days before the second leg of their Europa League semi-final against Villa.

Home games against Newcastle and Bournemouth, on the last day, could be crucial but getting a result at Sunderland on Friday would help alleviate a lot of stress for Vitor Pereira's side before the remainder of the run-in.

Read Sam's whole relegation debrief here

Sam Drury
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

A game in which so little happened could yet come to prove pivotal for West Ham but in a good way or bad?

How Hammers fans come to view this result will be determined by whether or not they stay up - were they in a more comfortable position, it's doubtful they would remember it at all.

The visitors were the better side in the first half and moved the ball nicely but failed to turn some promising openings into many chances of note.

Konstantinos Mavropanos' header from El Hadji Malick Diouf's cross was as clear a sight of goal as they had all night.

But where they lacked the ruthlessness up front, there was no lack of resilience defensively as they restricted Crystal Palace to just one shot on target despite the home side finishing stronger.

That much will please Nuno but he and fans might wonder if it might have been worth taking a risk or two more when they were on top.

Certainly turning one point into three would have felt huge for their survival chances but given how much of a blow it would have felt had they lost, the Hammers - for now at least - must view this as another point towards their goal.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo, speaking to BBC Sport: "That was a tough match, always is against [Crystal] Palace. We had some good moments in the first half and it started to go a bit side-to-side in the second half. A very tough, balanced match. It could have gone both ways."

Will the relegation fight go to the last day? "It will go all the way, for sure. Not only at the bottom of the table but at the top. This season has been very tight."

How many points do you need to stay up? "We don't make points, we play games. We have a mission ahead and keep going."

Did you know?

• West Ham United have kept clean sheets in successive Premier League games for the first time since February 2025 against Arsenal and Leicester City.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Crystal Palace's performance

What did you make of West Ham's display?

Come back on Tuesday for a selection of your replies

Oliver Glasner makes four changes to the Crystal Palace XI that started at Fiorentina on Thursday.

Jefferson Lerma and Will Hughes come into the midfield, with Brennan Johnson and Jorgen Strand Larsen brought into the front three.

Adam Wharton is out with an adductor injury, while Daichi Kamada, Ismaila Sarr and Jean-Philippe Mateta drop to the bench.

Crystal Palace XI: Henderson, Richards, Lacroix, Canvot, Munoz, Lerma, Hughes, Mitchell, Johnson, Pino, Strand Larsen.

Subs: Benitez, Sarr, Mateta, Clyne, Kamada, Sosa, Riad, Devenny, Cardines.

Nuno Espirito Santo sticks with the same XI that started West Ham's convincing 4-0 win over Wolves last time out.

It is nine days since that game so the Hammers should be fresh for what is a crucial game in their battle to avoid relegation.

West Ham XI: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Disasi, Diouf, Bowen, Fernandes, Soucek, Summerville, Pablo, Castellanos.

Subs: Areola, Wilson, Traore, Todibo, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Scarles, Potts, Kante.

This is a big game for West Ham and, by the time they play it, they will know how all of their relegation rivals got on over the weekend.

As well as being important, this is a tough game for the Hammers too. Crystal Palace left it very late to beat Newcastle but they have now taken seven points from their past three games and seem to have found some form again.

The Eagles are safe but I am still a little bit worried about West Ham. Yes they played well against Wolves last time out, but they were very nervy until they took the lead.

This is going to be tense for them too. I don't say this about many of my predictions, but I am pretty certain about how this will end up - with the points shared.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Crystal Palace host West Ham on Monday (20:00 BST) in a London derby which has seen plenty of goals in recent seasons.

Palace coping better after Thursday matches

Just 335 days after winning their first major trophy, Crystal Palace find themselves only 180 minutes away from a first European final.

They lost Thursday's Conference League quarter-final second leg to Fiorentina but an aggregate victory should ensure Palace's recent momentum, which has seen them win six of their past 11 matches in all competitions, is kept up.

Juggling their European and domestic commitments has proved problematic for Palace this season - they have lost six of their 10 Premier League games that have immediately followed a Conference League clash.

However, most of those defeats came in the early part of the campaign – the last four European games have been followed by two wins, a draw and just one defeat.

So there's plenty of reason for optimism ahead of the visit of their neighbours. But while only Arsenal and Manchester City have kept more than Palace's 11 home clean sheets in this season's Premier League, a London derby can often throw up different challenges.

And the Eagles have struggled to keep West Ham at bay in recent seasons, conceding a total of 13 goals on their past five visits to Selhurst Park.

Hammers showing fight in survival battle

West Ham bounced back in style after the disappointment of a fortnight ago, when they missed out on an FA Cup semi-final on penalties.

Their biggest league win for three years - 4-0 over Wolves - moved them out of the bottom three for only the second time in 2026 and they were given another boost with relegation rivals Tottenham suffering defeat.

The Hammers' form in 2026 has not been that of a bottom-three club. They have taken 18 points from their past 11 league games, winning five of them.

The team spirit looks solid with several players' performances standing out. Konstantinos Mavropanos, who had scored one goal in his first 81 Premier League matches, has scored three in his last three, while January signing Taty Castellanos has settled straight in with five goals in all competitions so far, including two in that Wolves victory.

Meanwhile captain Jarrod Bowen, who has eight goals and eight assists this season, has been involved in nine goals in his past 10 league games, figures that are among the best in the top flight.

West Ham look to have the trickiest run-in of the teams battling to avoid relegation but on their current form, they have every chance of avoiding the drop.

Holly Bacon
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Monday's Premier League game against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Nuno confirmed "all the boys are OK" and that is a reflection of his players' "commitment to prepare themselves really well" and to "take care of themselves after the matches, recovery-wise".

• On the mood at the club after last week's important victory over Wolves: "We're working hard. The atmosphere is good, focused and getting ready for Monday. I don't think there is a risk [of complacency]. It's positive after a good performance and helps in terms of preparation. We will make sure we are focused on what we have to do. "

• On moving outside of the relegation zone: "It's much better when you see but nothing has changed really. We still have six games to go - a lot of work to do."

• The Hammers boss dismissed that playing last of the relegation-threatened teams this week makes a big difference: "We have to focus on ourselves. We cannot control what happens at the other stadiums."

• Nuno said they have a big challenge ahead in "sustaining their levels of performance which is very hard".

• He was asked about Konstantinos Mavropanos being linked with a summer move but maintained the defender is "totally focused and committed".

• On Monday's opposition, the West Ham boss said Crystal Palace's threats come from "all over the place" and added: "They are a very good team. The shape and idea is really established and that brought a lot of success last season. They continue to perform well and have individual players with a lot of talent."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about West Ham? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

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Two Premier League heavyweights are set to face each other this weekend at Etihad Stadium, as Manchester City host Arsenal.

Both teams go into the fixture with different targets. For Mikel Arteta's side, it is about extending their lead at the top of the table. For Pep Guardiola's side, it is about closing the gap and keeping themselves in the title race.

It is a fixture being labelled a title decider by some, so we want to know who you want to win this Sunday's match.

Will you be cheering on the Citizens or getting behind the Gunners?

Make your selection

Holly Turbutt
Fan contributor

West Ham's recent performances are giving me hope that we can stay in the Premier League, and here's why.

When you look back to the beginning of the season, or even the beginning of the year, nothing was going our way. We weren't working together as a team, we weren't performing well enough to get points, and there were absolutely none of those smash-and-grab type games where you don't deserve the win, but you still come away with it.

However, our 4-0 win against Wolves has given me hope, despite the fact that it wasn't the best performance by a long way. If I'm completely honest, that scoreline was not reflective of our performance as a whole, and we definitely didn't deserve to go into the break ahead. We could barely get hold of the ball in the first half, and yet we went on to score a total of four goals and keep a clean sheet.

But why has that filled me with confidence? Because even when we aren't playing our best, we are making moments of magic that matter. We're showing that we're able to go against the run of play to score a goal, and we're keeping our heads up even in the most difficult patches of games. And this mentality is something that I believe will keep West Ham up.

We know a lot relies on how many points we can pick up and how those around us do, but as it stands we're out of the relegation zone and if we continue to take matters into our own hands there will be nothing stopping us avoiding relegation, despite the fact that it all looked completely lost back in January.

Are we going to outperform the opponent in all six of our last league games? It's not very likely, but if we can come away with points, even when we haven't been the better side, I think we're in with a real shot of staying up.

Find more from Holly Turbutt at West Ham Network, external

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Some of you have used our Ask Me Anything form on West Ham to question if the Hammers could claim any money for Max Kilman in the event he's sold at a major loss.

One fan asked me if there would be any "redress" on the situation. I am not quite sure what you mean in terms of redress. Kilman was Wolves' captain and being talked about in England circles when West Ham bought him and presumably whoever sanctioned the deal felt he was worth the money. I still think Kilman is an excellent player, very mature but for whatever reason, it has not worked out at the London Stadium. It is a reality that every club overpays for players that don't turn out to be worth anything like the sums involved, but it is not a sale or return, you can only wince and try to do better next time. It seems certain Kilman will leave but I wouldn't be surprised if he does well somewhere else.

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

Find out more here

Adwaidh Rajan
BBC Sport journalist

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Getting 36 points on the board should offer a huge psychological boost for Leeds.

Teams finishing on 36 or more points in each of the past nine Premier League seasons have avoided relegation.

In the 20-team Premier League era, starting from the 1995-96 season, the average number of points earned by the team finishing 18th is 35.53.

In those 30 seasons of 38 games, 36 points has ensured survival 60% of the time.

The rate of survival increases to 80% for 38 points, 90% for 40 points and 100% for 43 or more points.

So does that mean Leeds have virtually guaranteed survival this season?

Not really.

That is because this season is on track to be the toughest to survive for a decade.

According to Opta's supercomputer, Tottenham are now favourites to go down at 48.7%. But Spurs, sitting 18th, are on 30 points and projected to finish on 37 by Opta - meaning 38 points would be needed for survival.

West Ham, currently 17th, hold the record for the team relegated with the most points in the 20-team era - in 2002-03 when they picked up 42 points but still went down.

"The reality is that performance-wise we should already [have] far more than 40 points," Daniel Farke said.

"This team has performed over the whole season with unbelievable consistency.

"But we are on 36 points, a few more points are needed. For now, three points closer but nothing is achieved yet."

Read more here

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