Autobiography

after putting in so much effort. The last straw
was when a West Ham supporter verbally
abused David Sullivan in a restaurant during
the period when we held shares in the club.
But that was then and it is very different now.
It was also different at Birmingham City, where
we were treated with respect after we had
quelled the initial suspicion of why David
Sullivan and a couple of cockneys from the
East End of London wanted to take over the
Blues.
In the Premiership, I have only been treated
badly by three people. One was Mohamed Al
Fayed, the Fulham chairman, who invited me
to lunch at Harrods. He was very courteous
and we had a pleasant afternoon, but I was
unimpressed by his failure to attend away
matches with his club, Fulham, and at Craven
Cottage he segregates you in a separate room,
arrives like royalty, shakes your hand and
immediately returns to his own private
sanctuary. In my opinion that is not in the
spirit of this amazing institution called the
Premier League or indeed the Football League.
I find it sad when chairmen do not adhere to
the protocol. Respect and hospitality to our
guests in the boardroom at Birmingham City
and now West Ham United is fundamental to
everything the club represented under our
tenure. David Dein at Arsenal used to set the
example. His guests were treated in exactly
the way you would expect from a great football
club, but it would not be the same were he not
there. His charm and hospitality make the
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