Baroness Karren Brady was a one-woman force in the footballing world as the trailblazer went from a ‘hard b******’ to ‘Devil with t***’ before announcing her West Ham exit
Baroness Karren Brady was a one-woman force in the footballing world – a trailblazer who split opinions and was even called “the Devil with t***.”
She was one of the first women to have a prominent role at a club, yet she pulled West Ham away from their spiritual home and wanted to change their name to West Ham Olympic.
Her time at the Hammers is coming to an end, after 16 years, Brady announced she was leaving the club on Tuesday. And Daily Star Sport has a look at the controversial life and times of the Baroness.
Early beginnings
Born in London to the family of a millionaire, Brady first met David Sullivan as a 19-year-old sales worker at radio station LBC, when she was desperate for a client to fill the 4am graveyard slot in the advertising schedule.
Brady thought his Daily Sport paper was perfect – rocked up to his home and persuaded him to invest. Daily Sport would become LBC’s best client with a spend of £2m a year.
Sullivan, so impressed with the young woman’s business acumen, decided to hand her a job, which has since led them as partners into football and West Ham via Birmingham City.
Written off as a “bimbo” – but turned out to be “one hard b******”
Brady was just 23-years-old when Sullivan purchased Birmingham and immediately installed her as his managing director.
It was the first time that rumours started to emerge about the nature of their relationship: “There has been a lot of rumour and innuendo about my relationship with him, but that is something I have just had to put up with.”
Not everyone was impressed with appointment, Barry Fry slammed her as a “bimbo”, but would later take back his words and admitted she was “one hard b******” after Brady stormed in and “sacked almost everyone”.
Sexism and her response
Her clash with Fry wasn’t the only time she was subject to sexism and after climbing onto the team bus, she was bluntly told by one player he could “see her t*** in that shirt”.
Brady replied “When I sell you to Crewe, you won’t be able to see them from there will you?”
He was sold shortly after.
Paul Peschisolido marriage
However, not all contact with her players was bad – and a young Brady fell head over heals when she first clapped eyes on Blues striker Paul Peschisolido.
Peschisolido was the Blues star striker and, like Brady, has Italian roots. One club official told her: “I don’t think that’s right,” but Brady ignored them and the loved-up pair tied the knot in 1995.
They share two kids and still live in London – but it didn’t stop Brady from selling him. Twice.
Barred from boardrooms and abused
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However, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, she was still subject to sexism as a woman in football, when she was banned from the boardroom at Notts County.
However, over a decade after the incident former Magpies chairman Derek Pavis claimed: “There was never a men-only policy as was suggested. Karren was a director and was entitled to be in our boardroom. I remember seeing her go up to the bar and order a large whisky.
“She collected it and took it over to the door and gave it to her boyfriend outside. He had wanted to come in but he was not a director and was in a club tracksuit. I said to Karren if she did not like our rules, she could go in the ladies room. That was the end of it really.”
Brady, in response, said it had been a long time and she “didn’t really think about Notts County”.
There was also the time she subject to abuse at Southend: “I get called terrible things, but it doesn’t matter what people say about you, it matters how you react,” she joked.
Football Corruption Investigation
In 2008, Sullivan and Brady were arrested by City of London Police, interviewed and released on bail as part of the investigation into the 2006 allegations of corruption in English football.
The investigation stemmed from sources both inside and outside the game, including a BBC Panorama investigation. Birmingham said that no charges had been brought and that Brady denied any wrongdoing.
David Gold was interviewed as a witness and later said it was “utterly wrong that this highly professional businesswoman has been made a victim in a witch-hunt against football.” In 2009 it was announced no further action would be taken.
West Ham move
In January 2010, she was appointed vice-chairman of West Ham United by new joint-chairmen Sullivan and Gold.
At that point, Brady had a regular column in The Sun, a fact that didn’t sit well with the Hammers faithful who accused her of airing the club’s dirty laundry in the paper.
However, she didn’t listen to the noise, and wrote in her column: “To West Ham fans I’ll make a single pledge – while we are on the board, we will hang in the Tower of London before your club again goes through the financial turmoil which so nearly brought it down”
The ‘Devil with t**s’
And it wasn’t just the fans who were indifferent to Brady, her brutal methods at Birmingham were brought to East London with Benni McCarthy in the firing line.
After a less than successful spell at Upton Park, Brady was heavily critical of the striker following his departure, as she took pot shots at his weight issues. She said: “Rather than the super scorer we hoped for we acquired a super size, a player devoted to filling his belly more than filling the net.
“As time went by, he grew bigger and bigger and although he made an effort to slim down, he’d passed the waistline of no return.” McCarthy didn’t take kindly to her comments and hit back and called the businesswoman “the devil with t**s”.
McCarthy wasn’t the only Hammer to fall under the, erm, hammer, and writing in her column she admitted the £10million signing of Robert Snodgrass from Hull “wasn’t exactly a triumph”.
The London Stadium and West Ham Olympic
Brady was central to one of West Ham’s most pivotal moments in their history – their move to the London Stadium. Initially the intention was for West Ham to take ownership of the stadium, but their bid collapsed following a legal delay caused by a rival bid from Tottenham Hotspur.
However, Investigators working on behalf of Tottenham were charged with fraud for obtaining illegally the private telephone records of Brady and West Ham were awarded ownership.
Brady had wanted to change the Hammers’ name to West Ham Olympic, but the idea was shot down by David Gold. Brady would receive further criticism after describing West Ham’s move to the London Stadium as “a chance to rebrand the club”
She would clarify those comments in a later interview, saying it was “part of our ambitious strategy to take our club to the very top of the world’s most-popular sport.”
The end
Brady was at the helm as West Ham experienced one of their most successful periods in recent history, winning the UEFA Europa Conference League.
And her legacy at the club is split, some fans will admit she has taken them to the top of European football – but others slam her as “tone death” when it comes to her column while also opposing Football Regulation, arguing it could be “terrible” for the game.
Speaking about her legacy to The Times, 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 UEFA 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.
“While this chapter closes, my passion for football and commitment to supporting the next generation of leaders remains undiminished. I wish West Ham United every success for the future and look forward to following their continued achievements with pride.”