I had hoped that by January 2025, fortune would have stopped hiding and a period of steady improvement would have materialised. But I suspect Julen Lopetegui won’t be given that long.
The general consensus is clearly for us to find a replacement as soon as possible, and I doubt a West Ham win over lowly Everton will change many minds.
It’s a shame that it has come to this, but the threadbare squad and tactical naivety left by the previous manager have led to this painful team overhaul. This has resulted in an influx of new Hammers players—which, at the time, most pundits and fans called a successful transfer window.
However, you don’t bring in that many players and a new coach and expect instant success. Takeoff! COYI!
Some of us suspected there would be teething troubles, that we’d need a lengthy period for this “new team” to settle, gel, and respond to a head coach with fresh ideas. Many didn’t foresee that (after enduring the frustrations with the last manager), so the resulting disappointment has hurt, frustrated, and angered fans all the more.
Names are already being floated around, from Graham Potter to Edin Terzic and even outrageous rumours like Jose Mourinho! Whoever replaces Lopetegui at West Ham—if it comes to that—will have an almighty (and privileged) job ahead. Chief among their tasks will be sorting out our sluggish midfield, as that’s where the real problem lies. If you abdicate control in the middle of the park, you’re asking for trouble, regardless of the opposition. And yes, a decent, young striker would be a welcome addition.
We have “wunderkind” Luis Guilherme, who has been variously described as a right-winger, attacking midfielder, and frontman, depending on the source. However, it seems the current coach doesn’t see him as quite ready—perhaps the future coach will.
The coming days or perhaps weeks (because Mr. Sullivan seems to have a frustrating habit of holding out for “the best deal”) will decide the fate of our coach and the future of our club.
Exciting times! It’s never a dull moment at West Ham—unless you count Moyesball in the mix. Despite all the upheaval and changes, both past and future, I remain optimistic for our beloved Hammers. For those of us with a bit more history, these shenanigans are nothing new. This is The West Ham Way.
Be good, be positive… I’m off to blow some bubbles.
Guest post by David Pope
Not giving the brazilian kid a game is just absolutely mind boggling…..
This manager is one of the worst I’ve seen and I’ve not seen alot of him….but just from thec20 games..he hasn’t got a clue…and his man management is just laughable
I still have great faith in Tim but I’ve always felt that JL is NOT the man to lead us. Love Jarrod as a player but not a captain. That should hAve gone to Max.. Taking off Somerville after Alvares red card seemed an incredibly stupid decision. That poor lad must be wondering what the he’ll he did when he signed for us.
Great report here I couldn’t agree with you more.
Hey ho. Up and onwards Hammers. COYI
December has a lot of winnable games if we get a bit of momentum, I doubt the pint sized kossack will get rid of him, to his credit and also his detriment he likes managers to see out their contracts, in Lopetegui’s case there is little chance, like Avram that he will turn this around, for different reasons some appointments don’t work out Floppy is one of them, just have to hope DS can find it in him to appoint Potter the only manager linked with us that plays attractive football and is good at coaching.
Bennyboy Baker says it all really spot on my son. Moyes certainly doesn’t have anyone wanting him that’s a fact and rightly so. Like allardyce another lost in the reason we’re called for decades under our most successful managers greenwood and lyall of all time, the west ham way. Obviously with a huge job with moyes leaving us with wasted millions and boring the pants off our real west ham supporters loppy isn’t up to it . We have some great players that a decent coach will get a tune out of and we still need the midfield and striker and left back and keeper to come in Jan with soucek solar martinez and probably the Greek God of always switching off wrong time being sold or loans finishing .
Why is JWP becoming a better all round player every week he doesn’t play for WHU or anyone else for that matter?
I think that even Big Sam could tighten things up so as we didn’t concede threes and fours…
I cannot see Lopetegui lasting for long so move quicker rather than slower while we have a choice of people like Potter and Terzic.
If a new manager had us finish just two places higher it would pay for the severences, three places higher and we’d be money in.
Our real issue, I think is at board level. Sullivan has made and continues to make stupid decisions and has the worst sense of timing.
Always going for the the free managers (Free for a reason) and not for the successful ones.
It’s not about how much money but how it has been spent.
wunderkind?? you love it Gonzo! even if you mean wonderkid! not sure where you are getting the wonder from!!!! makes me wonder what on earth you are talking about!
I believe “wunderkind” is German for ‘wonder child’ or ‘child prodigy’.
Correct 🙂
Sullivan is our biggest problem he thinks he knows all three is to know about football truth is just like JL he doesn’t have a clue if he did we would not have a clueless manager and be in the position we are in I know some will say that the players need to look at themselves I don’t agree it’s JL that sets the team up he decides how they are to play it’s total incompetence by JL the sooner he gets kicked out the better we will be things got bad under moyes but things are even worse now and no I don’t want to bring moyes back we need a manager that knows his stuff and gets on with the squad because it’s clear that they have no time for JL
Gonzo didn’t write that piece…I did…and at the time of us getting Guilherme he was being described as a ‘”wunderkind”….hence the quotes because no-one really knows. Capice? 😉
Wrong.Maybe next time go look it up yourself
Wouldn’t it be great sometime to click on this site and because things are going so well there are no new articles to read. Oh we can but dream. C. O. Y. I.
Ahh but you’d be bored then 🙂
I think in retrospect we didn’t “win” the transfer window at all – making Guillherme our first signing didn’t make sense given that we had to bring in a number of players and with hindsight we would have been better off sticking with Ward Prowse and not taking Soler on loan – at least we would still be a threat from set pieces
I am not sure where this Director of Football model works well – but I see having two centres of power as a massive threat
Let us hope for some bubbles to show us the way forward