Lopetegui (sacked 8.1.2025)

[maverick180]

I was thoroughly looking forward to the start of this season

Was also prepared that things might take some time and wasn't expecting miracles over night What I didn't expect was a manager who after spending 6 weeks with the total dross he'd been left by Moyes would deem them fit to start in a premier league game And low and behold all of them played absolute shit

We're now 1 game in and none of our new players are any closer to bedding in or learning anything from their new team mates cos they barely spent a second on the pitch, half of them not at all I think it's gonna take somewhere between 6-10 games before we see the team anyone with an ounce of sense would play cos this bloke can't identify shit when he see's it I thought we was handed a miracle at half time when we went in level and low and behold he changed nothing I'm sure people are gonna make excuses for him and say it's too early to judge

But from what I've just seen today, this cսnt is David Moyes in a mission impossible mask

[RBshorty]

Is it true that he's our highest paid manager ever?

I just hope Sullivan has some clause in his contract, otherwise it might be VERY expensive to bin him off.

Lopetegui is a Coach. We don't have a manager. With 19 months left too run on his contract. To bin him and his staff we would be looking at the wrong end of £20 million. Our Glorious Leader is penny wise. But very pound stupid. It ain't happening any time soon.

[Toast]

 

Good grief - it’s a matter of opinion, I suppose.

 

Not a fan of Soucek, or Guido?

What midfield would you play?

I'd quite like to see Irving given a chance, but don't think it will happen.

 

 

[threesixty]

I think Sullivans problem is that he likes bosses that act like his business associates rather than bosses that offer something more on the pitch. 

The more he likes doing business with you the more he vouches for you, even if you’re not doing well. I think it’s a very old school way of running a business. To value the relationship rather than the performance. 

I think he’s petrified of offering the job to anyone who values performance first. I thought that getting Steidten in would break that need as Tim can be the bridge between business and sporting needs. But I think Sullivan didn’t become a billionaire by trusting other people with his own money. 

and that’s why we are here. 
let’s hope Lopetegui has got the balls to sort this out because the next boss will be more of the same I imagine. 


 

[Hammer and Pickle]

I'd keep as is, just take out Paqueta for Soler.

Think Guido keeps his place ahead of Alvarez, and whilst not everyone's cup of tea I'd keep big Tom in there too.

Good grief - it’s a matter of opinion, I suppose.

[Lee Trundle]

Is it true that he's our highest paid manager ever?

I just hope Sullivan has some clause in his contract, otherwise it might be VERY expensive to bin him off.

[eusebiovic]

I don't quite know what to expect long-term but this manager was always going to be a risk.

He had a good spell with the Spain Under 21's & National Team and did very well with Sevilla but his spell at FC Porto was very underwhelming and he didn't even make it to Christmas at Real Madrid. Wolves he did a perfunctory job with no thrills but kept them up.

I wouldn't mind so much but it's well known in Spain that he has a slightly spiky and off key behaviour and character. Things can go wrong but if you have a positive personality the players will more often than not turn things around.

He tends to be moody and resentful which is an awful combination. I wanted us to go for Andoni Ireola at Bournemouth - you get the impression that for better or worse the players are always with him the same with Frank at Brentford.

Anyway, I guess Sullivan will always pick someone who is a reflection of himself.

What can you do?

[Toast]

I'd keep as is, just take out Paqueta for Soler.

Think Guido keeps his place ahead of Alvarez, and whilst not everyone's cup of tea I'd keep big Tom in there too.

[Hammer and Pickle]

What would your preferred midfield with Soler be? He’s pretty much an unknown quantity as a starting player.

[Toast]

I think he needs to drop Paqueta, Soler will give us a more responsible ball playing midfielder.

Kudus' forced break, might be a blessing at present too, as playing a natural left sided player in Summerville will give us balance, also he's more likely to pass to a teammate.

[simons]

I think he’ll only get replaced with a firefighter when desperation kicks in, and we are not in trouble, so no need for panic as far as Sullivan is concerned. He’ll never fire a manager early doors and bring a better one in. That’s not how he works. 

[Pub Bigot]

Pub bigot, you may be correct that the players dont buy into whatever he is saying or they dont understand? A good coach also listens to feedback but even if they did buy in, we dont have the speed, legs in midfield to press teams like Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool who’s quick movement and passing easily gets around our slower players. Dont get me wrong, its seconds we are talking about but a second late and the ball has gone or the player. We look like the fat kid at school playing “piggy in the middle” in central midfield with the Soucek, Paqueta, Rodruiguez combo ( whether a 2 or 3 ) trailing in the dust.  Pickle as you suggest, Alvarez and Soler ( both not super quick but better ) in the mix might help but not quite enough.  But we need the team pressing as a whole too. Spurs were relentless at it, all their players.  Maddison was least effective as he’s more of a play maker but Postegelou subbed him to increase the pressure on us with super athletic, strong Sarr coming on and the tettering damn burst. 

 

The change from the Moyes needs to be gradual, or money spent to bring in the players that can facilitate the change. You have an unbalanced vision from the club leadership which they've taken the manager to produce and a squad of players incapable of carrying it out, aside from one or two. 

I don't want to see us return to the Moyes approach, so Lopetegui has to come up with a bridge if he wants to be successful. Going from one to the other has failed miserably. 

[Sir Alf]

Pub bigot, you may be correct that the players dont buy into whatever he is saying or they dont understand? A good coach also listens to feedback but even if they did buy in, we dont have the speed, legs in midfield to press teams like Spurs, Chelsea, Liverpool who’s quick movement and passing easily gets around our slower players. Dont get me wrong, its seconds we are talking about but a second late and the ball has gone or the player. We look like the fat kid at school playing “piggy in the middle” in central midfield with the Soucek, Paqueta, Rodruiguez combo ( whether a 2 or 3 ) trailing in the dust.  Pickle as you suggest, Alvarez and Soler ( both not super quick but better ) in the mix might help but not quite enough.  But we need the team pressing as a whole too. Spurs were relentless at it, all their players.  Maddison was least effective as he’s more of a play maker but Postegelou subbed him to increase the pressure on us with super athletic, strong Sarr coming on and the tettering damn burst. 
 

[Hammer and Pickle]

Sir Alf - I’m not sure we can yet say we don’t have the players to go beyond Moyes and hold a higher line while passing and moving with the ball. Not while we consistently start with the individuals we know aren’t up to it (Soucek) and leave those who can totally exposed (Paqueta). The resources available are not being used properly to achieve that end, which is why I’ve lost patience with Lotepgui at this stage.

[Pub Bigot]

I like what he's trying to achieve, but the players aren't having it and as a result the manager is out of his depth. 

With all due.... If you can see what he is trying to achieve then you are better than me because I can't. I see no style, no sustained pattern of play, no plan to stop the other team scoring. It's all a bit of a mess. 

He's trying to get us playing and not allowing the opposition to dictate games like Moyes did. But the players aren't buying in for whatever reason. 

The issue with Kudus and Jlo are probably felt throughout the squad, because there is no reason this team should be struggling. So the dithering board need to act and sack manager, because whether I think he has an approach or not, the players clearly don't.

[Sir Alf]

We havent got the pressing capability in midfield to play a high line. A big part of that is not recruiting athletic, fast, strong defensive midfielders that all the top teams have in this league and the other lesser part is tactics and implementation of them.

This is not my view exclusively, just a consensus from talking to fans who go and watch and reading this and other sites. When a numpty like Andy Townsend, repeats in a couple of games where he’s covered West Ham, that “West Ham don’t have the legs in midfield to press fast enough and get up and down the pitch fast enough” (transition) you know its pretty obvious.

Problem is we don’t have the players for high line, possession in this league. Its much more of a slow build up in La Liga and Lopetegui, like Rodriguez and Soler as players are finding out the hard way.

What you do is “stop the bleeding” and accept ypu may have to play Moyesballesque football again but Loppy has no real experience of that I suspect.  

Opinions as always but most fans, even on here, see it.  But I keep wondering if Loppy or Steidten do? Or are they going to “double down” on what they are doing which will be analogous to “trying to ram the iceberg out the way in the Titanic”

[Council Scum]

"I like what he's trying to achieve" Relegation? 

[Rossal]

Think the plan is to get us keeping the ball and playing a higher line. No sign of any idea about how to get there though apart from using Antonio as an excuse for not scoring and Paqueta for losing possession in key areas when getting tonked.

The plan can't be too keep the ball if he picks Soucek most weeks 

[Hammer and Pickle]

Think the plan is to get us keeping the ball and playing a higher line. No sign of any idea about how to get there though apart from using Antonio as an excuse for not scoring and Paqueta for losing possession in key areas when getting tonked.

[Maverick180180]

I think we’re in massive trouble 

I don’t agree with the people who think we’re too good to be relegated, we’re absolutely abysmal, I’m not convinced at all that there’s 3 teams in the league playing worse than us, and even if there is, there’s definitely not 3 teams with a worse manager than us, and that could be what sends us down 

[Russ of the BML]

I like what he's trying to achieve, but the players aren't having it and as a result the manager is out of his depth. 

With all due.... If you can see what he is trying to achieve then you are better than me because I can't. I see no style, no sustained pattern of play, no plan to stop the other team scoring. It's all a bit of a mess. 

[Lee Trundle]

Yeah, that had me scratching my head also.

I've seen nothing I've really liked so far from what he's trying.

[Rossal]

what is he trying to achieve?   I can't see anything at all 

[Pub Bigot]

I like what he's trying to achieve, but the players aren't having it and as a result the manager is out of his depth. 

[Russ of the BML]

Russ the 7th of June 23 might have something to do with it,I'm forever grateful to him for that

So will I. But I also remember last season - 4 PL wins in 2024 and most goals conceded bar the relegated three. Shambles. And any West Ham fan wanting to return to that is either on a wind up or fucking blind. Lope not working out is not a reason to want that back. 

[XKhammer]

Russ the 7th of June 23 might have something to do with it,I'm forever grateful to him for that