West Ham Go Top of the Championship, but Can They Leave the Past Behind?

West Ham’s 4,500 travelling supporters had plenty to celebrate at Bolton. Jarrod Bowen scored early and then sealed a five-goal thriller late, sending the club to the top of the Championship and completing three consecutive league victories.

It was West Ham’s first three-match league winning run since December 2023. That earlier sequence helped prompt a contract offer to David Moyes, which he never signed and the club later withdrew before his departure six months afterward. The decline continued, ending with relegation last May.

At Bolton, supporters stayed after the final whistle to acknowledge the team. They sang about Bowen, bubbles and West Ham being “massive”, but their repeated chants about former chairman David Sullivan were far less complimentary. Sullivan did not attend the match, although he has been present at every home game so far this season and also watched last month’s draw at Watford.

His continued involvement surprised some observers. Sullivan resigned as chairman in June, saying he intended to fight allegations made in a joint BBC Panorama and Times investigation. His departure, along with Karren Brady’s decision to step down as managing director in April, had been seen as a factor behind West Ham selling 50,000 season tickets for their first season outside the top flight since 2011. Average league attendances have topped 60,000, while 53,369 watched the EFL Cup win over Portsmouth, a record for that stage of the competition.

Sullivan remains part of the club’s picture. If the complicated agreement announced on September 3 proceeds as expected, he will hold 40%. His influence, however, is now much smaller. Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky is chairman and is intended to become the largest shareholder with 46%. Chief executive Karim Virani has won praise for engaging supporters and addressing issues such as the badge changed in 2016. Director of football Nils Koppen now has influence over recruitment, which the club says involves broader internal discussion. Twelve players were sold during the summer, including Crysencio Summerville and Mateus Fernandes.