The unedifying public squabble between former West Ham gaffer Julen Lopetegui and director of football Tim Steidten was entirely predictable.
The mudslinging was inevitable as the pair edged closer to their exits from the Hammers. Clearly, they never got along, and now the blame game is kicking into gearâbut be prepared, you ainât seen nothing yet.
Lopetegui kept his counsel while in charge at the London Stadium, though he always had the threat of using media ally Guillem Balague to spill the beans and share his version of events in East London.
Steidten, on the other hand, was more adept at working through influencers and the German press while still in the job. The first shot allegedly came from the German, with trusted sources reporting that the Irons DOF had âwarnedâ David Sullivan against hiring Lopetegui.
That move is understood to have gone down like a lead balloon with Lopetegui, whose own media cronies swiftly promised to expose the behind-the-scenes turmoil at Rush Green.
With both men now officially out of the buildingâbut Lopetegui and possibly Steidten still on the payrollâthe war of words is simmering.
Make no mistake, both camps have plenty to say, and thereâs a lot of dirt about to be dished.
But once the dramatic finale is over, and those caught in the crossfire emerge from behind the sofa, I suspect weâll all be relieved to have the calm and measured Graham Potter at the helm
Steidten ‘…It was always my dream to work in a leading position in the Premier League. And it was actually a wonderful journey in a great club with great fans. Together we initiated many processes and new structures, signed very exciting players with a lot of potential and reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League together. In the current constellation, however, it is best for everyone to go their separate ways.’
That he has excellent employment prospects says it all.
At the end of the day Managers want to call the shots and be in charge. Managers like Moyes and Lopetegui didnât want somebody like Steidten interfering.They want their own man they can trust which is what Moyes had to start with and which is what Potter now has. Ultimately it feels like Steidten was a boardroom spy and not wanted in the training ground by anyone.
No manager, coach or DoF, Head of Recruitment is in charge!
Only Sullivan.
I can’t wait I hope all the crap is about David Sullivan.
They are no longer employed by West Ham so let them squabble amongst themselves. This is now a no news story!
STIEDTEN A BIG LOSS FOR US MASSIVE MISTAKE LETTING HIM GO BUT COME TO EXPECT THESE POOR DECISIONS NOW
Not sure if this is going to actually happen. Surely both of them would have been made to sign a non-disclosure agreement as part of their severance package?
Spot on about the NDAâs!
It wonât stop the BS propaganda machine and Sullivan & Bradyâs âsocial media croniesâ aka C&H from trying to mug off fans on here tho!
we will all still be under the sullivan circus tent including potter
No mention of Sullivan briefing against managers, players, etc through heâs favourite radio hosts or journalists. No mention of Brady writing a column in a down market newspaper where she has dished the dirt against managers and players working at West Ham. Being a good little lap dog itâs the usual one sided post. Sullivan and Brady are still there and are still the problem.
There seems to be a lot of flack on here aimed towards Sullivan/Brady, when we actually know very little about the ‘going on’s at the club.
I’m no fan of or mouth piece for the ownership, so please don’t even start.
But every decision seems to meet with vitriol and derision?
If many ‘fans’ posting on here had their way, West Ham would have hired Ruben Amorin last summer.
How’s that working out for the Manc.s?
Others would have preferred Paulo Fonsecca from Lilles.
How’s that worked out for Milan?
With Evertons recent turnaround, maybe some of you will be calling for a return of Moyes?!
It seems some posters, just want to bang the same old drum over and over, without taking into account the difficulty of the task.
The ‘vitriol’ you refer to is completely justified – Sullivan has run this club like a circus, with amateur decision making for which I could give you countless examples. The good ‘decisions’ are usually on the back of Sullivan making an incorrect decision – e.g. removing Moyes for Pellegrini, then going back to Moyes. Thinking Potter was not the right man for the job, only to hire JLo against all advice then run back to Potter when it didn’t work out.
Of course we’d have rather had Amorim than JLo? Please don’t use the Man Utd team he has to work with as a reason to say he’s a bad manager. Not a manager in the world would do any better with that team and club. You also mention Fonseca – who knows whether he would have better than JLo – but could it really have been any worse?
No-one has questioned the ‘difficulty of the task’, and nearly every poster on here is hugely supportive and impressed with Potter.
Sullivan, however, continues to be the sole cause of everything that holds our club back. We’re a huge club revenue wise and attendance wise, yet fail to successfully build on any success we achieve. There’s no long term thinking or planning (again, countless examples can be given, from Moyes turning up to the club when he had ONE scout and no data/analytics teams, which nearly every successful club have, to Sullivan hiring a DoF to introduce a ‘you pick one, i pick one, the manager picks one’ in terms of player signings). A training ground that is years behind even the likes of Leicester and Wolves. All of these things go back to the owners.
The difference is Steidten is competent and Lopetegui isn’t. Both put into a toxic background by the incompetence of Sullivan. Anyone else making decisions like Sullivan would be quickly out on their ear.
Appoint a manager like Lopetegui in virtually any other background and see how long you’d last.
Refuse to pay a bit more for a player who in only a few months was worth nigh on twice as much and see how long you’d last.
He then actually said go and get someone cheaper. There’s no wonder at all that the season was in tatters at its half way point.
The next thing will be when Steidten joins a Champions League club, can’t you just see it coming…
Dortmund have a vacancy – can see Tim going there and being highly successful.
Our summer rebuild is going to be carnage now with Sullivan!
It’s irrelevant nonsense. Nobody’s interested, time for even this site to move on.
Discussions should focus on the Sullivan/ Brady axis, but that’s never going to happen here.
Potter has been a relief for everyone. His and the team’s progress should be the priority not the dirty laundry attempting to mask Sullivan’s perpetual short-comings…….ALL puns intended.
Yes but the main problem Sullivan and Brady who you cheer lead for are still at the club