West Ham United vice-chairman Karren Brady says their financial commitments will not put the club at risk.

In a column for West Ham's matchday programme, Brady wrote: "I make no secret of my desire to focus on the balance sheet but there is no doubt that a more stable balance sheet is what has enabled us against the odds to invest in the team sheet this summer.

"This investment has seen two of our eight signings Freddie Piquionne and Victor Obinna firing home in our midweek Carling Cup fixture to take us just three rounds from Wembley.

"This might have seemed a tall feat given the well documented level of debt that we inherited from the previous board.

"The issues surrounding the club's financial predicament have continued to hit the headlines.

"This is why I wanted to set the record straight to you our principal stakeholders and investors. If there is one thing I have learnt since I first walked through the front doors of the Boleyn Ground on 19 January it is that you are among the most savvy supporters in this league. This fits well with our own policy of honesty when it comes to our supporters.

"You had a right to know that we implemented drastic changes but you also need to know that these changes were part of a long-term considered strategy to take us forward.

"We have invested in the team both on and off the pitch and this has paid dividends in a very short space of time."