West Ham United have signed disgraced out of contract defender Patrice Evra with fans labelling the club a ‘joke’… but are the supporters the real figure of fun?
West Ham have signed out of contract Evra – who turns 37 this season and was sacked by Marseille for kicking one of his own supporters – on a short-term deal until the summer.
The move has sparked angry reactions from fans who have labelled the club and owners David Sullivan and David Gold a ‘joke’.
Many fans feel the owners are going out of their way to upset them with a series of broken promises since the move to the former Olympic Stadium.
And the club’s rather insensitive and inflammatory decision to hand Evra the number 27 shirt so infamously vacated by former Hammers hero Dimitri Payet only twists the knife that little bit more.
Payet was the best player West Ham had seen for over a decade and one of the most talented to ever wear the claret and blue.
He became a talisman and genuine East End hero during his 18 months in London which all ended on a sour note when he effectively went on strike to force through a return to his homeland.
Many will never forgive him but just as many will cherish the wonderful memories Payet gave them during his time at West Ham.
But it was immature and silly for the club to hand Evra his number a year after the bitter romance ended.
Yes you could argue it is only a shirt number. But then you could make a counter argument that there are plenty of other numbers to choose from too.
Evra knows Payet well from their time together at Marseille and with the French national team.
Even if he had requested to wear the number of his good friend, surely the club – given the current predicament and tensions between supporters and board – could and should have advised against it?
It may only be a small matter against a much more serious backdrop of potential relegation and supporter protests at West Ham this season.
But perhaps it highlights just how little consideration is given to the club’s loyal fans, famously referred to as “customers” by unpopular vice-chairman Karren Brady.
Come in number 27… the joke it seems is very much on the West Ham fans at the moment.
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