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J.Riddle 1:58 Fri May 25
Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Good news as Manuel will already have a good idea who he wants out and in and be able to move fast.

C&P football.london
Manual Pellegrini was an appointment nearly seven months in the making.

Manuel Pellegrini let it slip in his first on-camera interview with West Ham, probably unintentionally, that he had watched a lot of Hammers matches last season while manager of Hebei China Fortune in the Chinese Super League. There is a reason for that.

Slaven Bilic was sacked as West Ham manager on November 6 after Karren Brady arrived at the Rush Green training ground, two days after the 4-1 defeat to Liverpool at the London Stadium to deliver the news we all knew was coming.

What we didn't know was that very soon after, the wheels were already in motion to bring former Manchester City manager Pellegrini to east London.

Back in October 2017, Croatian Bilic was clinging to his job in the capital. The 3-2 win against Spurs in the Carabao Cup bought Bilic some time but it was not going to be enough. He was eventually dismissed with the Hammers in the Premier League relegation zone after a dismal start to the season.

Pellegrini engaged in talks with West Ham in the immediate aftermath of Bilic's sacking to return to the Premier League and to take the reigns in east London. Numerous telephone and email conversations were exchanged but Pellegrini didn't meet with West Ham at that time.

Before 2017 was out though, the two parties had met, talks progressed and Pellegrini and the club had a handshake plus a gentleman's agreement that it would be him that would eventually take over in east London.

The new manager had already discussed transfer targets, his backroom staff joining him in the capital and the transfer budget with the club. That is expected to be fulfilled this summer.

Enter David Moyes.

The Scotsman was employed with the sole task of keeping West Ham in the Premier League, essentially warming the seat until Pellegrini arrived. Moyes was never going to spend more than half a year at the London Stadium. There was a reason he was only given a six-month deal. Moyes was always a stop gap between Bilic and Pellegrini.

The former Sunderland boss held up his end of the bargain and steered West Ham to a 13th place finish in the Premier League and while he may not have known it, he wasn't going to be sticking around after May 2018. He was handed £2.5m for his six months employment in east London.

Not bad work if you can get it.

That also explains why Moyes was somewhat undermined at the end of his tenure when pictures emerged of Shakhtar Donetsk manager Paulo Fonseca arriving at Hammers co-owner David Sullivan’s Essex mansion to have “talks” with the top brass. Those talks were never going to amount to anything, as proved by Fonseca signing an extended contract in Donetsk - it was a smokescreen.

The same applies to Newcastle United manager Rafael Benitez. It was all a ruse.

Stories emerged that the Spaniard was proving hard to lure away from Tyneside but he was never likely to take over thanks to the agreement with Pellegrini.

Pellegrini had said to West Ham back in 2017 that there was no chance of him leaving the Far East and his incredibly lucrative contract when he was first approached to take over at the London Stadium. Give it six months however then a severance deal could be done.

Six months later, that’s how it has turned out

Pellegrini announced his departure from Hebei China Fortune on May 19 after their 2-1 victory over Chonqing Lifang in the CSL and as quick as a flash, the 64-year-old was on a flight to London. Before his flight had landed in the UK, Pellegrini's £8m-per-year contract was officially agreed to take over West Ham.

The manager and co-chairman had a pleasant time in central London that evening following touchdown for the Chilean, before returning to Sullivan’s home. That was nothing but a formality, the club photographer had already arrived to capture the moment and contracts were signed that evening.

Pellegrini was announced as West Ham’s new manager at 8am on Tuesday morning.

The new manager has spoken of his excitement and the project in store for him in east London in his first words as West Ham’s 17th manager. In reality, that project began way back in November 2017.

West Ham have got their man. It was a process that started some time ago and was the long-term plan for the club after a torrid 18 months at the London Stadium that led to Bilic's sacking. Now, we wait and see what the future holds.

gank 12:53 Mon Jun 25
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

ag ag ag ag

gph 12:51 Mon Jun 25
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Usually, Chilean birth certificates have three slots for "occupation" - Father's, Mother's and child's.

Pelligrini's down as West Ham manager on his.

fraser 8:29 Fri Jun 22
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

But they 'tried' before.

LondonE3 2:54 Fri Jun 22
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

We've gone from that cunt Avram Grant to Allardyce then to nice guy Bilić followed by uninspiring Moyes to an actual winner in Manuel Pellegrini - that's what giving the board bucket loads last season did - we got us a decent manager!

normannomates 2:24 Fri Jun 22
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Huggy was an obvious Pellligrini target...

why do you think Golom never played the kid?

just watch him fly next season

longford 1:51 Fri Jun 22
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

ive heard quite a few negative reports on MP tactically , as in he pretty much lays out a formation and just allows the players to get on with it , with no real instruction.

but he has achived good results with not massive clubs in the past so im hoping that its bollocks.

what can we expect from him ?

Dr Matt 1:50 Mon May 28
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

So Pellegrini wanted Hugill, all makes sense now.

eusebiovic 11:59 Mon May 28
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Sullivan is a unique visionary

He wanted Pelligrini to take over from Barry Fry at Birmingham 25 years ago...but the Chilean was contracted to Univeridad Catolica and the monks who ran the club forbade him from joining forces with a fornicator.

Amazing what can happen when somebody patiently bides their time

overbyyer 9:53 Sun May 27
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

All a big misunderstanding - Del boy was feeling faint in his Cosack outfit so shouted down the hall for some San Pellegrino. Brady thought he said sign Pellegrini and the rest is history.

Balto 5:54 Sun May 27
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Whatever the veracity of this story it all makes David Sullivan look like a man who can't be trusted. We have the dwarf Donald Trump in charge.

Justin P 2:59 Sun May 27
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Sounds like the script for the new Bond movie?!

Mex Martillo 2:44 Sun May 27
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Does not sound that different to what Man City did to get Guardiola

the exile 7:47 Sat May 26
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

90% bullshit.

Sven Roeder 3:46 Sat May 26
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

It was all a misunderstanding
Sullivan on a poor line to China in January asked Pellegrini who he most wanted to see when he came to London
And his answer of ‘Jordan ....Huge Tits!’ was misheard as ‘Jordan Hugill ‘
Easy mistake to make.

gph 3:37 Sat May 26
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Pellegrini, master coach that he is, spotted Hughill's massive potential and instructed Daves S & G to buy him.

Dave M had no idea how to release the superstar that's hidden in Hughill, so rarely played him.

Hughill is now Geoff Hurst, a fully fit Andy Carroll and John Hartson (slimmer version) all rolled into one.

After only two words of advice from Pellegrini, over a poor connection, from China to Blackpool beach, where Jordan's living it up.

J.Riddle 3:11 Sat May 26
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Nothing is surprising about the way the shysters conduct their business. They've had years of practice in becoming masters of wheeling, dealing, ducking and diving in the porn and sex shop industry.

J.Riddle 2:34 Sat May 26
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

Guess work at best of course, it's not an exact science.

alfie romeo 2:34 Sat May 26
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

All of it Bollocks and what a way to go about business. We are talking about owners here that have never got ANYTHING right in football. Their track record is one of incompetance.

Sat here waiting for CL fixtures and to be proved wrong.

J.Riddle 2:33 Sat May 26
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

It's been mentioned that Hugill was bought in as insurance if we ended up relegated as he was deemed to be ideal with his goal scoring record in the Championship, presumably on Sullivan's orders? Then once we were safe he was always going to be the first to go.

There may be some truth in that as he was the only one brought in transfer funds were being stockpiled for the new manager, hence the £20m sale of Ayew and £4m Fonte without replacements?

Iron Duke 2:16 Sat May 26
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

It was all part of the masterplan, to put people off the scent.

mike hunt 2:01 Sat May 26
Re: Pelligrini agreed to join 7 months ago and watched our games

why spunk 10 mil on hughill then

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