In an unseasonable black bomber jacket, with heavy duty company beside him, David Sullivan took his seat. Against the advice of the stadium’s operators, unbowed by serious allegations placed against his name and the weight of public opinion, West Ham’s major shareholder, the former co-chair, sat with arms crossed, always conspicuous by his presence.
By beating Portsmouth in relative comfort, West Ham, the club where Sullivan’s name is no longer above the door, had secured a heartening Carabao Cup passage to the second round. There, they will be reunited with their former Premier League peers. The serious Championship business begins next Sunday at Burnley. Whether Sullivan travels north for that remains to be seen. It cannot be ruled out.
“Neither me nor the players,” said Nuno Espírito Santo when asked about the effect of the uninvited guest’s presence. “We’ll focus on the pitch. The noise that comes from outside cannot distract at all; we’re going to find a lot of noise. We focus on the game, they do their job, they did it well.”
Before kick-off, the London Stadium big screen showed a “countdown to walkout”, referring to the players’ arrival rather than to fans deserting the scene in protest. This being West Ham in 2026, any confusion would be understandable. Taking previous mutinies into account, and despite a summer of intrigue and anger, there were surprisingly few audible or visible signs of insurrection as season 2026-27 began, and an extended 90 minutes was played out.
Even with Sullivan’s arrival expected, the gate to the directors’ car park did not stage a welcoming committee, the lanes around the London Stadium quiet. Protests there have been a regular sight, targeting Sullivan and his departed associate Karren Brady.
Even once Sullivan’s presence was confirmed there was nothing resembling the barracking of last season. Instead, the loudest boos of the first half came at a hydration break at its midway point, with an odd choice of 90s rave musical accompaniment. The legacy of a North American World Cup continues to darken.
Perhaps still-searing temperatures and a dose of early optimism had doused the fires raging when the Hammers’ drop was confirmed in May. Time-served Irons know plenty about relegation; their club has dropped down each decade since the 1970s; West Ham heritage indeed.
The kick-off chorus of I’m Forever Blowing Bubbles drowned out the Pompey Chimes ringing out from 9,000 away fans. As is usual at the London Stadium, the visiting contingent decried their surroundings and the Faustian pact struck for West Ham’s tenancy.
Football has rarely been in focus during West Ham’s summer of tumult, boardroom battles after Sullivan’s defenestration. So what of football? Carabao Cup Saturday served as a decent dry run for their attempt at a promotion campaign. The new West Ham closely resembled the former West Ham, though shorn of the £151m worth of player sales that took in Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville and Freddie Potts. Joël Veltman, the sole summer signing so far, came on with three minutes left.
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In midfield, Edson Álvarez, who spent last season on loan to Fenerbahce, lined up alongside Lewis Orford, a 20-year-old it is hoped can follow the path of Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick and Mark Noble, the latter a mentor, into becoming a first-team regular. His was a successful introduction into the first team.
“The energy of the young players is really really important for us,” said Nuno. “It’s up to us to develop the young academy players. That’s the vision for the future.”
The torpor of a first 30 minutes of little footballing consequence was broken by a Portsmouth goal, scored by Adrian Segecic, via a deflection off Maximilian Kilman, an expensive purchase far too regularly on the crime scene.
It took 10 minutes for West Ham to awaken before Mohamadou Kanté’s pirouetting feint laid up Taty Castellanos to equalise. Mere moments later, Jarrod Bowen, the club captain staying on to lead his club back up, a rare adult in the room last season, lashed in their second. “Jarrod shows us every day his commitment,” said Nuno.
The goals evidenced a quality that ought to guide the club back to the Premier League with some comfort, though nothing should be taken for granted. “If you give them a slight opening they’re going to take it,” said the Portsmouth manager, John Mousinho.
Sullivan kept any celebrations to himself and returned for a second half that began with Castellanos nodding in Bowen’s cross. An afternoon that might have descended into a familiar seething pit of rage and resentment now offered grounds for optimism. Though just beyond the hour, a chorus of “Stand up if you hate the board”.
If Sullivan is no longer a board member he was its undoubted target. He has turned many a deaf ear down the years and continues to do so.
