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

[Russ of the BML]

I'm absolutely convinced we're going to have a strong second half to the season.  The N17 mob will struggle juggling Europe and how postecogluu sets up . They were out on their feet in the second half of last season without European football. While we will massively improve once he knows his best 11 . Pacqueta is a worry . Brilliant player but woefully out of form currently. Once he clicks so will we . Only mentioned the yids . As bad as weve been were only 2 points off them . 

You could be right. If he finally gets a settled eleven and we start to find some momentum then we could surprise a few. Hopefully Jimmy Summerville makes that left side his own. Kudus to come back and play centrally. Get Fullkrug back to see what he could do. 

Things can only get better.  

[Rossal]

I'm absolutely convinced we're going to have a strong second half to the season.  The N17 mob will struggle juggling Europe and how postecogluu sets up . They were out on their feet in the second half of last season without European football. While we will massively improve once he knows his best 11 . Pacqueta is a worry . Brilliant player but woefully out of form currently. Once he clicks so will we . Only mentioned the yids . As bad as weve been were only 2 points off them . 

Its just deemed as part of the process the manager has no idea what his best 11 is at this point or any idea how to remotely get a tune out of the most creative player

Not only has he had a full pre season he has had 2 international breaks to sort things out and hasn't 

[Council Scum]

" Brilliant player but woefully out of form currently"

He's a hit ands miss player between entertaining and a liability. He's more miss than hit. 

[Pshyco scored all 4]

I'm absolutely convinced we're going to have a strong second half to the season.  The N17 mob will struggle juggling Europe and how postecogluu sets up . They were out on their feet in the second half of last season without European football. While we will massively improve once he knows his best 11 . Pacqueta is a worry . Brilliant player but woefully out of form currently. Once he clicks so will we . Only mentioned the yids . As bad as weve been were only 2 points off them . 

[Massive Attack]

However, its yet again down to recruitment and budgets.  Going to cost £50 - 75 million just to get the quality central midfield player we need with the legs and speed unless we can unearth another Kante for £5-10 million as Leicester did ( hence why good recruitment allied with budget is necessary).  Ironically in another “sliding doors moment” under Sullivan’s ownership, didnt we have the chance to purchase Kante ahead of Leicester but opted for some other Sullivan agent recommendation ? I think I saw someone mention that on here ?
 

Yup, I believe that's correct with Kante. This is the real problem. Sullivan's back slapping and doing business through his mates will always hold us back because that's his priority rather than doing objectively the best thing (Don't we have Lop in the first place because a connection to one of his mates?)

The real galling thing is we have Stiedten at the club to find those exact future Kante type players on the cheap, but what's the point if when he identifies someone he wants, the owner will decide not to trust his expert and go with what his mates suggest instead?

As I always say, the real problem at the club is right at the top. Everything else is just a sympton.

Unearthing like this cheap future midfield Kante type, you mean...

https://www.whufc.com/news/west-ham-uni ... adou-kante

[Rossal]

When he was at Sevilla and Wolves he won alot of games 1-0. He made their defences pretty watertight yet we look like we can let in 3 or 4 every single game. It was a theme under Moyes that he hasn't sorted and that is we let so many shots on our goal. 

People praising the subs but a good manager wouldnt need to make 2 or 3 at half time every week. He is spending all week on the training ground with tactics and a starting 11 which is completely wrong. 

Chelsea, Fulham, Brentford, Man Utd...... he isn't the right man for the job if he has to change half the team round every week at half time. 

He has had a full pre season, got in plenty of players he wanted yet tactically we are an absoulte shambles. Off the ball shape and press is non-existent. Players are not improving, not one player in the squad is better than they were last season. In fact most have gone backwards like Soucek, Paqueta, Coufal, Areola. 

That combined with not one youth product coming through or even giving a chance to the Brazilian lad. 

There must be someone out there that can coach the team and do a better job of all the issues above. 

 

[Adsiron]

All that should have been done in the summer.

No one would have believed me in the summer just gone if I has said Antonio would still be our only real option up front.

 

 

Yes but Ings won't leave. Fulkrug is crocked while on international duty and Paqueta didn't get sold as was clearly expected so, only £150m or so was available. 

I don't blame Lopetegui for that. I do blame Moyes incompetent signings and his reluctance to have a bigger squad leaving it depleted. Add in a limited budget for a massive need to sweep traces of Moyes' tired old regime away 

[El Scorchio]

However, its yet again down to recruitment and budgets.  Going to cost £50 - 75 million just to get the quality central midfield player we need with the legs and speed unless we can unearth another Kante for £5-10 million as Leicester did ( hence why good recruitment allied with budget is necessary).  Ironically in another “sliding doors moment” under Sullivan’s ownership, didnt we have the chance to purchase Kante ahead of Leicester but opted for some other Sullivan agent recommendation ? I think I saw someone mention that on here ?

Yup, I believe that's correct with Kante. This is the real problem. Sullivan's back slapping and doing business through his mates will always hold us back because that's his priority rather than doing objectively the best thing (Don't we have Lop in the first place because a connection to one of his mates?)

The real galling thing is we have Stiedten at the club to find those exact future Kante type players on the cheap, but what's the point if when he identifies someone he wants, the owner will decide not to trust his expert and go with what his mates suggest instead?

As I always say, the real problem at the club is right at the top. Everything else is just a sympton.

[Massive Attack]

Assuming he persists with his 3-5-2 system ( think he has always had his teams playing that way Porto, Valencia, Spanish national sides ? )

Generally speaking he usually prefers to play 4-3-3 (which I'm a bit surprised we hadn't seen more of yet) and then yesterday's 4-2-3-1 is his other preferred formations out of all of them from what I understand of him.

[Lee Trundle]

I don't yet know whether I like Lopetegui but I'm fairly sure we are much better off than we were under Moyes. 

If Lopetegui plays things right he will be getting a loan striker in January and Fulkrug back and finish the league strongly. I hope he can qualify for Europe but next season is going to be the time to really push on whether Lop is managing us or not.

Ings, Antonio, Cresswell and a few others can be moved on and replaced with better quality so I see next season being a big one. It wouldn't surprise me that Lopetegui manages to achieve that for us. 

All that should have been done in the summer.

No one would have believed me in the summer just gone if I has said Antonio would still be our only real option up front.

[Sir Alf]

Assuming he persists with his 3-5-2 system ( think he has always had his teams playing that way Porto, Valencia, Spanish national sides ? ), its going to continue to be high risk and lots of goals conceded especially against the better / more clinical teams IMHO. He has to fix the midfield to play that way. We need 2 better central strikers too as mentioned but getting a striker in January will not materially improve results imo.

Discussing this down the pub with a couple of top notch, football experts ( old fat bloke and bald bloke mates who watch footie, whilst blowing off on their sofas like me ) we all agreed that there was no coincidence in the fact that the most successful ( honours, trophies, medals ) wise player of the modern era was Kante.  Yes he played for increasingly good teams but he was the key / most critical element to their success. That’s the profile of player we need and probably 2 of them ( Alvarez could be in the central midfield mix too ). Doesnt mean we will win tons of trophies but should mean, especially in the modern, high press, super quick Premiership, we become far more effective at what we think Lope is trying to implement .  We will be able to see inverted, overlapping wing backs marauding up field and us trying to play thru midfields without fearing a turnover that leads to lots of gilt edged chances being given up every game.  

There are other improvements needed, of course, like the passing accuracy of the team overall ( I counted several players including our captain that make the wrong decision or simply fail to execute a quick pass accurately too many times) .  And a quick, strong central forward.  The Lop system should then become far more successful and at the same time less stressful to watch.

However, its yet again down to recruitment and budgets.  Going to cost £50 - 75 million just to get the quality central midfield player we need with the legs and speed unless we can unearth another Kante for £5-10 million as Leicester did ( hence why good recruitment allied with budget is necessary).  Ironically in another “sliding doors moment” under Sullivan’s ownership, didnt we have the chance to purchase Kante ahead of Leicester but opted for some other Sullivan agent recommendation ? I think I saw someone mention that on here ?

Anyway, this season will likely continue in the same vein as the first 10-12 games under Loppy imo.  Some odd glimpses of progress, decent result now and then alongside lots of goals conceded and spells in games where we look like “the Keystone Cops” and Premiership strugglers.  In other words, no consistency during and across games unless we do the impossible and recruit the profile of central midfielder needed and a quality striker for peanuts in Jan.

[Mad Ferret]

Ten Hag available

[scott_d]

What he does do is drop players who were shit the game before, I like that tbf.


 

Not sure I agree with this entirely.

Yes he's done this with Areola for Fab but there seem to be a couple of players who are barely contributing and still starting every week:  Paqueta and Antonio.

[scott_d]

Whilst I'm still behind the manager, not for the first time, his starting line-up has been wrong.  To his credit he made 3 changes at half time which changed things for us.  The frustration is not that he's willing to change the team mid-game but often he's changing it to the team that probably should have started.



 

[Manuel]

I don't yet know whether I like Lopetegui but I'm fairly sure we are much better off than we were under Moyes. 

If Lopetegui plays things right he will be getting a loan striker in January and Fulkrug back and finish the league strongly. I hope he can qualify for Europe but next season is going to be the time to really push on whether Lop is managing us or not.

Ings, Antonio, Cresswell and a few others can be moved on and replaced with better quality so I see next season being a big one. It wouldn't surprise me that Lopetegui manages to achieve that for us. 

Optimistic, but not unrealistic points you make. Add in hopefully a couple of youngsters coming through and things could be shaping up nicely. The worry for me right now though is Lop seems to making the same mistakes - the first half yesterday was a carbon copy of Chelsea.

[THUNDERCLINT]

Dry your eyes, Thundercunt. Maybe we'll lose all the next 9 games so to cheer you back up again. 


 

Why don't you run along to KUMB. I'm sure your mote their colour.

[Adsiron]

I don't yet know whether I like Lopetegui but I'm fairly sure we are much better off than we were under Moyes. 

If Lopetegui plays things right he will be getting a loan striker in January and Fulkrug back and finish the league strongly. I hope he can qualify for Europe but next season is going to be the time to really push on whether Lop is managing us or not.

Ings, Antonio, Cresswell and a few others can be moved on and replaced with better quality so I see next season being a big one. It wouldn't surprise me that Lopetegui manages to achieve that for us. 

[goose]

Ordinarily I would agree, but I think there are mitigating circumstances.
If we're still having the same issues we have now by the turn of the year i'd have serious concerns.

[Lee Trundle]

I'd say 50 points is a reasonable return for his first season in charge. That'll prob get you top half or thereabouts.

11 from 9 isn't far off that and we've already played some of the top teams.

I'd like to see us put together a full 90min of decent performance but i don't think this season is gonna be linear when it comes to progression.

Reasonable return?!  Finishing top half should be the bare minimum for a club like ours.

Anything else should be seen as a failure, especially after dropping £150m on the squad.

[fraser]

Wouldn't have been my choice but was reasonably happy at his appointment, obviously the most positive point being he wasn't Moyes.

Far from convinced so far as he makes some very odd selections, Soler ahead of Jimmy was right up there. 

Definitely will give him more time because I would love it to work, but if I had to lay money on it I'd put it on not working. 

[goose]

I'd say 50 points is a reasonable return for his first season in charge. That'll prob get you top half or thereabouts.

11 from 9 isn't far off that and we've already played some of the top teams.

I'd like to see us put together a full 90min of decent performance but i don't think this season is gonna be linear when it comes to progression.

[Massive Attack]

Dry your eyes, Thundercunt. Maybe we'll lose all the next 9 games so to cheer you back up again. 

 

[THUNDERCLINT]

He's fucking liability. Taken 11 points from 27 which is fucking pathetic before you factor in he fluked 8 of those. Palace and the Mancs should have been out of sight before we took the lead, whilst the Mancs probably would have taken a point if not 3 before that debatable penalty. Fluked a draw against Fulham who should have put the game to bed an hour before we scored. Brentford another shitshow that needed multiple half time subs. That leaves Ipswich, who were fucking awful but should still have been in front at half time. At that after he's had 4 months of coaching with the group.

Bin the clown before an in form Chris Wood gets to dry fist our back four. 

[Justin P]

What he does do is drop players who were shit the game before, I like that tbf.

On that basis we should see Soler, Mav and Antonio benched for Forest with Ings, Todibo and Jimmy starting.

Fab
AWB, Todibo, Kilman, Emerson
Alvarez, Guido
Bowen, Paq, Jimmy
Ings (likes scoring v Forest)

Mickey and Soucek to come on

[Mad Ferret]

It’s alarming how he seems to continue to pick the wrong side.

He was just lucky we weren’t already 3/4 down at HT.