Brown in message to rebels: I'm staying

Whistle say they have one hundred signatories holding a total of 40,000 shares, enough to call a meeting and vote on a motion for the end of Brown's reign. That would then invoke a shareholders' vote and, with the consortium's total amounting to around 0.2 per cent, Whistle's chances would not appear to be too bright.

"It's impossible, a real storm in a tea cup," said Brown, whose owns 36 per cent of the club's shares and will preside over the club's AGM on 8 December. "If they want a meeting though, we'll arrange one."

The plain fact is that, to unseat Brown, the group would have to sweet talk either Martin Cearns, a former chairman himself and son of Len, whose family business help build part of the old Upton Park stadium in 1925, or director Charles Warner, grandson of Arnold Hills, founder of the club, chairman of the Thames Ironworks Company, benefactor and philanthropist.

Hills descendants still own a substantial part of the club and have no intention of giving up their interest. They see it, much as Arnold himself did, as a legacy for London's East End and its people.

Between them, Cearns and Warner own around 40 per cent of the shares and, says Brown, "are not for turning". But the chairman himself knows that he is unlikely to win any popularity poll, either now or in the future.

"Our biggest mistake? We got relegated," he said. "If we had finished 10th in the Premiership noone would know who I was but we went down and, to survive, we had to flog some of our best players."

It was a challenging time for Brown and his fellow directors but they have, he says, come through the storm. The £33million bank overdraft is manageable, they made £15m from the sale of Glen Johnson, Frederic Kanoute, Joe Cole and Trevor Sinclair and saved £10m from players like Paolo Di Canio who were coming to the end of their contracts.

Without those players, the Hammers have made a reasonable but not spectacular start to the season and although Brown and his directors are hopeful of a quick return to the top flight, they are budgeting for all eventualities.

"We have three budgets the banks want us to prepare," he said. "One for staying where we are, one for going back up and staying there and a third for going back up and coming straight down again.

"We've all had a trying time. A few years when it's been a real struggle. Anyone's patience would have been tested, including the fans. East Enders like a good moan but they are also intensely loyal. What other relegated club would still attract a regular 30,000 fans and 18,000 season-ticket holders?

"Considering the possible repercussions of relegation, I believe we've coped very well. There is a residue of nervousness from relegation though and we saw that against West Brom recently.

"I will be chairman of this club for the forseeable future but as for popularity, I'll leave that to the players."