Julen Lopetegui

“Betrayal” As Lopetegui Ally Dishes the Dirt With Shocking Claim

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The mud slinging seems to have started. Whilst on the pitch Graham Potter has taken over as head coach at West Ham United and is now dealing with the challenge of injuries, squad weaknesses and the visit of Fulham in just 3 days, off the field, the recriminations from Julen Lopetegui’s dismissal are growing.

In their article entitled ‘Betrayal – behind the scenes mess at West Ham highlighted by Spanish media’, sportwitness.co.uk uncovers the raw feelings being displayed in Lopetegui’s home country following the recent end to his West Ham  career.

The specific piece that sportwitness refer to is a scathing article from as.com, penned by Spanish Sports Journalist and presumably Lopetegui ally Aritz Gabilondo.

This week Lopetegui left West Ham. It had been brewing, but the way it was done was horrible. The sporting director, who is supposedly being removed, negotiated with other coaches and the owner, with whom Julen had a friendly meeting the day before, gave in. It does not speak well of his conduct. The problem at that club, believe me, is not the coach.’

Ouch. Sadly, all too common in football now, as Sean Dyche just discovered to his cost. There seem to be no standards, no ethics, no decencies. Many would say that’s why the coaches are paid the millions, to take what is given to them, work with it while they can and then take the money and walk away when their time is up.

I suspect there is a lot more to come out on this story, particularly from the players’ side in respect of the fallings out, the mistakes and bust-ups. And I’ll just raise a red flag at the line:”The sporting director, [as he incorrectly labels Technical Director  Tim Steidten] who is supposedly being removed“: Does Gabilondo claim to know something we don’t?

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From the old Bobby Moore Upper to the Billy Bonds' stand these days I've been watching since '03 and a supporter since about 1970.. 'Football is Life' oh yes. Let it raise your spirit but never darken your mood. Life's too short not to enjoy the journey with our Claret and Blue heroes n' villains.

17 comments

  • Dave says:

    You can’t talk about ethics and Sullivan in the same article.

  • Phil Baker says:

    Lopetegui blagged Champions League but was more Championship . Lopetegui sabotaged everything and everyone at Westham . With a decent coach Westham would be easily top ten with the current squad . Steidten wanted Duran but Sullivan would not pay and so just like Ings , Fulkrug was signed as a panic buy . Let the DoF get the right coach for the right players .

  • Annette Markham says:

    Stiendten should be sacked he made the choices why blame the managers (not that i’m not happy Lopetegui has gone) the 2 of them are pitiful

    • Hammeroo says:

      I wish we could get rid of Annette Curtain! Silly never ending whinging about somebody whose name she can never spell. Touche!

  • Morty says:

    The sacking of J’Lo was handled badly but, this is a man who walked out on Spain and Wolves and was in discussion about the West Ham job while Moyes was still manager. So don’t shed too many tears for him.

  • Ammer 66 says:

    Not happy with the way Lopetegui was treated at the end and let’s not lose sight he is a professional and has tried his hardest and deserves some respect but……. after one training session and two days the team looked better against Villa than they have for two years. It’s a results business and by any marker he should have gone earlier; just not the way it was done

  • Bennyboy baker says:

    JLo and his fans can moan all they like he was brought in to do a job he even stated that we would be challenging for European spots in the league he failed to deliver in a huge way making the team worse than they were under Moyes he had no idea what he was doing if I took a job making out I knew what I was doing and completely messed it up I would expect to be sacked I agree his sacking should have been done better but who really cares he’s gone and that’s the most important thing

  • John Ayris says:

    Lopetegui failed by just about whatever measure you care to put to him. Yes his sacking could have been dealt with far far better and we need to take that one on the chin as an own goal but that he needed to be sacked is irrefutable and he would have been gone sooner practically anywhere else.

    The real question to be asked is why was he appointed in the first place when nobody but nobody thought it to be the right appointment. Without that appalling decision none of it happens and we’re likely in a far better place than we are now.

  • Pete says:

    Load of tosh

  • M B says:

    There is a lot of rubbish written days. Football has always seen new managers lined up before the incumbent is sacked so nothing new there. For the Spanish press to try and paint the picture that our Technical Director did this all on his own without the consent of the Board is laughable especially as it was known even before Lopi joined that Brady favoured Potter right from when Moyes left and had connections there. Additionally, I don’t for one minute believe that Sullivan wasn’t involved either at an early stage.

  • Kenny Irons says:

    Lopetegui betrayed his own country before World Cup, so his little team should keep their gobs shut – end of !

  • D says:

    The writing has to be on the wall for TS. Many of us thought he had bought well but failed to realise we needed pace and youth on their side Summerville and WBS have been good, and Soler and Todibo look like they could be class with the right coaching (not JLO)
    The others I’m not so sure. Also he definitely seems very underhand in the way he does stuff, allegedly he said he was totally in favour of JLo when he joined, only when the cracks started to show he allegedly said he never wanted him. He has to be lying at some stage.
    Also he is a great self publicist. What other club have their director of football trying to take centre stage on match day or at the training ground or having their picture taken with the new signings. And what was he doing in Brazil so long to come back with one youngster who hopefully will make it but un sure at the moment.
    We already have one sneaky self publicist in our chairman who we would like to see the back of, we don’t need another.

    • The Artist Formerly known as B says:

      Fair Point D,
      But best not believe too much of what is printed in the sports media,eh?
      Of the signings brought in last summer, I reckon some were pure Lopetegui:
      Soler, Roidriquez, Kilman
      Some were pure Steitden:
      Fulkrug, Guilerhme, Todibo
      Some were pure Sullivan/Noble:
      Summerville, AWB, Fotherington

      My concern was how muuch it cost West Ham to lose most of David Moyes squad?

      • D says:

        Yeah B agreed, personally I think Moyes is the elephant in the room. He pulled the pin on the hand grenade and walked off into the sunset. The squad was so old and small, the work needed to reshape it is massive. Yet he seems to be taking nothing but credit from the media. We shall see how well he does at Everton, he may have some money to spend but I know their fans are generally unhappy

  • Pat says:

    Let it go…the guys gone let Real Madrid hire him again and the same goes about Moyes move on who cares what he does this is a West Ham site not an ex managers one.

  • Taffyhammer says:

    ‘Said the Spanish press’. Just think what the Welsh press would have said if Dai Lopetegui had been from Wales. Arson and bombs to follow.

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