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

[Swiss.]

The rot set in January this year. We were 6th in the league and having albeit fortunately won at Spurs and Arsenal. Then Moyes rejects the contract renewal. From then we went on a downward spiral. If Moyes had no intention to sign then that's when we should ahve brought in someone new. Low risk as we weren't going to get relegated. Another fuck up by Sullivan. 

Now the reason why Moyes didn't except is probably down to us as he was constantly getting stick from us and I think it got to him. 



 

It was the length of the contract and him thinking (off the back of a trophy) his stock was high enough to walk into another job on a longer contract. 

That might be the case but Sullivan should not have allowed the situation to stagnate. 

[Council Scum]

The rot set in January this year. We were 6th in the league and having albeit fortunately won at Spurs and Arsenal. Then Moyes rejects the contract renewal. From then we went on a downward spiral. If Moyes had no intention to sign then that's when we should ahve brought in someone new. Low risk as we weren't going to get relegated. Another fuck up by Sullivan. 

Now the reason why Moyes didn't except is probably down to us as he was constantly getting stick from us and I think it got to him. 


 

It was the length of the contract and him thinking (off the back of a trophy) his stock was high enough to walk into another job on a longer contract. 

[Swiss.]

The rot set in January this year. We were 6th in the league and having albeit fortunately won at Spurs and Arsenal. Then Moyes rejects the contract renewal. From then we went on a downward spiral. If Moyes had no intention to sign then that's when we should ahve brought in someone new. Low risk as we weren't going to get relegated. Another fuck up by Sullivan. 

Now the reason why Moyes didn't except is probably down to us as he was constantly getting stick from us and I think it got to him. 

 

[RootsRadical]

Further to the chat about those wanting a change already because they've seen enough - it may well be the case a change might be needed - I'll put forward another example, other than the Chelsea one last season under Pochettino, of how long it can actually take before things get a lot better and that's the impressive Iraola down at Bournemouth. 

I think it's fair to say most people are now suddenly impressed with the excellent work he's doing with Bournemouth, in particular gaining big scalps against both Man City and Arsenal, as well as not losing to Villa within the past month jumping to 9th in the table. However, cast your minds back to the beginning of his time as Bournemouth's new manager last season and you'll see plenty of evidence of it not working at all. 

In his first 10 games, he only won once (the 10th game at home to Burnley), losing 6 and even got smashed 1-6 at home to Man City around the same time last year in the 11th League game, as well as getting knocked out the League Cup at home to Liverpool during all this time of his reign beginning.

Now that's a terrible run of form only winning once, whilst leaking 21 goals looking utterly wank staring a relegation battle in the face from the start of a new season having only just rocked up there. 

Now fast forward throughout the same season and you'll discover he eventually gets a grip of it all and the players start to understand what he wants to do by finishing a credible 3 places higher than the season before in 12th scoring 17 more goals thanthe previous season under Gary O'Neil who some fans got all horny about back then (now look at him).

Then come back to the present day and you'll see Bournemouth have started the new season absolutely flying playing excellent easy on the Football at both ends of the pitch, everyone knowing what theyre doing and now sit pretty in the table in 9th scoring for fun and coneding very few. 

Sometimes it just takes a fair bit of time for things to get worked out and for a new manager to eventually implement all his ideas the ways he wants his Team's to play. And no, I'm not saying it's  a guarantee Lopetegui will work out or that he hasn't made a hash of it so far, but as the Iraola example proves, managers do need plenty of time to turn around a Club's philosophy, especially when we consider we are trying to go from 1 extreme of playing style, to the other. It was always going to take time, regardless of who took over with so much to sort out and why I gave any new manager the whole season shoukd it be needed, barring a catastrophe of facing a relegation battle come Christmas. 

Go have a butchers at Bournemouth's results and compare it to what they're doing now and a long process of taking a whole year to finally get there...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023%E2 ... uth_season

Yep, another example is Nuno at Forest, didn't pull up any trees when he took over from Cooper with a good chunk of the season left, results remaining the same, now look at them.
How about when it's the other way round like at Palace & Glasner last season, everyone expected them to be flying high this season after his instant impact, now look at them.
Only 10 games in so both those club's positions could end up being false. 
​​​​​​Point is it's too early to judge.with another 28 games remaining.

[RootsRadical]

"or to the Quarters of the Champions League with Porto"

hahaha!

He's one of the very few managers not to win a trophy with Porto.  He then followed that up by doing the same at Real Madrid.

Stupid comment!
How can he win a trophy with Madrid when he was fired in November after a bad run of 5 games?
Tuchel won the CL then failed to win a trophy at Madrid over an entire season, must be a terrible manager using that logic.
How about his record at Seville & Wolves, or at youth & senior level with Spain?

[Ron Eff]

Nice to see Richard Keys peddling the agenda that we’re going in a different direction to what we were under Moyes (the wrong one), without acknowledging that we had the same number of wins in the last 5 months of last season (three) as we do the first 3 months of this season. I’d argue we are going in an almost identical direction. 

He also suggested Lampard as our next manager though, so clearly just fishing for bites like mine. 

[Massive Attack]

When people give examples of other managers who struggled at first and then things got better over time, they’re missing two very important factors 
firstly they never played players constantly out of position, and secondly they never stuck with players that we’ve seen enough of and know they’re shit and always will be 
the fact of the matter is this bloke hasn’t a clue what he’s doing and some people refuse to accept it even though the evidence is clear to see

The hugely expensive flops Disasi and Enzo Fernandez at Chelsea under Pochettino spring immediately to mind last season and he constantly played Fernandez in different midfield positions as either an Attacking Midfielder, Central Midfielder or as a Defensive Midfielder. 

Or even Iraola again at Bournemouth ...

https://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/sport ... positions/

[lowlife]

“I’m cheap, I’m available, I’ve managed in the Premier League. Oh, and Real Madrid and Spain”

Sullivan will have seen all of that and compared it with Amorim and not done any research or thinking beyond “why would I want to pay compensation”

 He’s the biggest problem at our club.

[Maverick180180]

It probably said I’m cheap 

that was all Sullivan needed to hear

[Lee Trundle]

I'd love to see Lopetegui's DOSSIER that he used to fool Sullivan with.

[Maverick180180]

When people give examples of other managers who struggled at first and then things got better over time, they’re missing two very important factors 
firstly they never played players constantly out of position, and secondly they never stuck with players that we’ve seen enough of and know they’re shit and always will be 
the fact of the matter is this bloke hasn’t a clue what he’s doing and some people refuse to accept it even though the evidence is clear to see

[Massive Attack]

Bang on the money, Sir Alf. Pretty much how I see it too, especially with the enthasis being on the recruitment side not being quite right.

We did try and address that with the right type of of Striker up front in Duran and looked like it might come off. Alas it didn't and we panic buyer in the end getting Fullkrug in for an absolute fortune. And even then weve been unlucky with his injury taking so long to heal it's meant he's had to rely on the old Strikers we already had under the previous regime. 

Like you I too have little issue with our defensive reinforcements, except I strongly believed we also needed a new younger top quite Keeper preferably.

To an extent I can understand why they went with what they did as both Fabianski and Areola can be alright but neither possess great distribution and that component is important for the possession based Football Lopetegui wants to instill in the side and breed confidence throughout the side from that starting point. We will struggle to address that until a new Keeper who can comes in.

Summerville and Soler (I reckon he still could come good in the end) in possession attacking play I'm happy enough with. Rodriguez however, nah. Don't see it, don't like at all what he's doing to the point he's been a total liability for us in central midfield. 

I also thought and said at the time of the transfer window being open that it was a mistake to offload Ward-Prowse from our Squad which was so needless compounding the issue further. That's on both Steidten and Lopetegui agreeing to that move, if Lopetegui did have a say on that which I suspect he did. 

He probably thought he had more than enough quality in the Squad to cope in midfield in Paqueta, Alvarez, Soucek, Kudus, Soler and Rodriguez. But Paqueta has gone to absolute rat shit, Alvarez has become a disciplinary headache, Soucek he's chopped and changed too much when he's actually been one of outcome consistent performers and both Rodriguez and Soler (although limited time to provehimself yet) have not made an instant impact the way he hoped.

He needs to now calm the situation down by turning to reliable, disciplined performers who he can trust to gradually turn it around in the likes of Soucek and Ings up top. By continuing to trust the huge under-performers will only compound the situation further and then he deserves all the flak he is getting. He needs trustworthy grafters right now and build a bit of momentum. 

[Manuel]

For me, he has to go and has clearly been the wrong appointment from the start.

As much as Moyes achieved. The decision to let him go was the right one. But it was at that point that the club needed to go out and appoint a young, hungry ambitious coach that played attacking positive football with a modern style. Lope clearly isn't that and it has turned out to be one of the worst appointments Sullivan has ever made.

And what is more galling, is to know that the poison dwarf refused to pay £8m compo to Sporting Lisbon for the man that Man Utd have just snapped up without hesitation. To think that Amorim was in the office with Sullivan and we never got him makes my blood boil. Then move forward to the summer and we pay £20m for an unproven, Brazilian 18 year old kid who hasn't even got into the first team. 

So take your £20m. And maybe Sullivan, if he had any foresight, would've paid the compo to Sporting Lisbon to get Amorim, and used some of the £12m he would've saved on ensuring we got Jhon Duran over the line. So If he spent another £7m on the Duran deal we would now have Amorim, Duran and about £5m left over out of the £20m. Yet. what do we have, Lopetegui, Guillherme and zero money left from the £20m. I mean seriously, if you are looking at some of the worst football business ever seen in the history of the game, there it is right fucking there!

As for Lope, I just don't know what to say. Over the weekend someone said we look as bad as we did under Avram Grant. I couldn't disagree. We look utterly hopeless. Have no defending pattern, no solidity and just look like strangers. Our attacking is impotent and we are slow and cumbersome. Making far too many mistakes with the ball again!

God knows why Lope decided to go to a back 3. I can only think he was trying to be solid and pragmatic and just go there and get something. But, I have never ever seen a team that plays 3 CB's, FB's tucked in and 2 DM's, get by-passed so easily. Lope is either one of the worst top level coaches ever or the players just have not got a clue what they are doing or don't want to do what he is asking them to do. 

It's just an utter shambles. And sadly I do not see where the improvement is coming from because I cannot see what we are trying to be or do. There's no distinct style or fundamental plan. 

Sullivan must hold his hands up and admit it was a mistake. A very bad one. We must drop Lope immediately and go and get the manager we should've got before (except Amorim and Tuchel as they are now taken). 

As for Lopes accent. I must admit. Spanish isn't a great language to understand when they speak English. When I listen to Guardiola, Arteta, and Ireola I must admit i do find it hard to catch what they are saying. Especially Guardiola as he speaks quietly and kind of mumbles. Lope doesn't speak very good English either and so this could be a factor in the players not knowing what they should be doing. 

Either way, once again, its ending up being one of those 'only at West Ham' moments. 

Yea, to miss out on Amorin and Duran really has left a dark cloud over the club it seems. This can't just be brushed under the carpet as it literally could have changed our fortunes for the coming years. Sullivan has royally fucked up here, and it's looking grim. I'm back in the UK over Christmas and don't really have any enthusiasm to go over there and haven't put any feeders out for tickets yet, obviously playing at the bowl doesn't help. I will go no doubt, but it will be more for 'the day'.

[Russ of the BML]

For me, he has to go and has clearly been the wrong appointment from the start.

As much as Moyes achieved. The decision to let him go was the right one. But it was at that point that the club needed to go out and appoint a young, hungry ambitious coach that played attacking positive football with a modern style. Lope clearly isn't that and it has turned out to be one of the worst appointments Sullivan has ever made.

And what is more galling, is to know that the poison dwarf refused to pay £8m compo to Sporting Lisbon for the man that Man Utd have just snapped up without hesitation. To think that Amorim was in the office with Sullivan and we never got him makes my blood boil. Then move forward to the summer and we pay £20m for an unproven, Brazilian 18 year old kid who hasn't even got into the first team. 

So take your £20m. And maybe Sullivan, if he had any foresight, would've paid the compo to Sporting Lisbon to get Amorim, and used some of the £12m he would've saved on ensuring we got Jhon Duran over the line. So If he spent another £7m on the Duran deal we would now have Amorim, Duran and about £5m left over out of the £20m. Yet. what do we have, Lopetegui, Guillherme and zero money left from the £20m. I mean seriously, if you are looking at some of the worst football business ever seen in the history of the game, there it is right fucking there!

As for Lope, I just don't know what to say. Over the weekend someone said we look as bad as we did under Avram Grant. I couldn't disagree. We look utterly hopeless. Have no defending pattern, no solidity and just look like strangers. Our attacking is impotent and we are slow and cumbersome. Making far too many mistakes with the ball again!

God knows why Lope decided to go to a back 3. I can only think he was trying to be solid and pragmatic and just go there and get something. But, I have never ever seen a team that plays 3 CB's, FB's tucked in and 2 DM's, get by-passed so easily. Lope is either one of the worst top level coaches ever or the players just have not got a clue what they are doing or don't want to do what he is asking them to do. 

It's just an utter shambles. And sadly I do not see where the improvement is coming from because I cannot see what we are trying to be or do. There's no distinct style or fundamental plan. 

Sullivan must hold his hands up and admit it was a mistake. A very bad one. We must drop Lope immediately and go and get the manager we should've got before (except Amorim and Tuchel as they are now taken). 

As for Lopes accent. I must admit. Spanish isn't a great language to understand when they speak English. When I listen to Guardiola, Arteta, and Ireola I must admit i do find it hard to catch what they are saying. Especially Guardiola as he speaks quietly and kind of mumbles. Lope doesn't speak very good English either and so this could be a factor in the players not knowing what they should be doing. 

Either way, once again, its ending up being one of those 'only at West Ham' moments. 

[Sir Alf]

Massive’s point about it sometimes taking time is valid. But there are also cases where it doesnt take very long at all.

The problem with any manager coming in after Moyes was that the squad was very old and slow. Despite 150 million spent its still old and slow. Although we have let in a ton of goals , for me its not the back line. That was one area that was strengthened. 

However, Lopetegui’s tactics and probably how he sold himself to the, not so bright, Sullivan was that he would have us entertaining and playing on the front foot, with us having a lot more possession and attacking teams. ( famous comment about having us “make a big noise” well all weve done is “make a big stinking smell” ).

He’s trying to get us playing attacking, possession football but the recruitment to allow that to be effective in the Premiership was not good enough for central midfield and centrally up front.  Whoever coaches the squad as it is will have to adjust tactics accordingly until we can get suitable recruits or perhaps a development player in to the squad as well.

From what I can see, Rodruiguez and Soler are not a lot of use to us at this time. Paqueta and Soucek wont be much help either with what he’s tryimg to implement.  Alvarez gets booked a lot bevause he’s a second or two too slow and is now panicked everytime we lose it and are subjected to a counter attack because we’ve conceded so many goals this season that way. The central midfield “pivot” needs to be very strong and as I obsess daily about it, players with atheticism, strength and pace that are able to rapidly get up and down the pitch.  The Kante, Caicedo , Bissouma type of player needed. I look at most of the Prem teams doing well and their midfields and forwards are all rapid, strong. Bournemouth even, they have the unfancied Christie and Cook but they dont stop running, pressing, then with Kluivert, Semenyo and Tavenier and the central striker Evanilson all non-stop. Best pressing team in the division so having the all the players needed is a part of it as its a coaching thing too. Point is the whole team needs to be pressing as one.  Kudus and Bowen can do it, you could probably allow one or maybe two of the aforementioned players to be included in the team at a push but look at them all, one paced every one of them relative to most teams in the Premiership nowadays.

lopetegui has us trying to pass our way thru but its so slow at the back and middle at times and allows teams to get back behind the ball.  As Stubbo said, we  became effective under Moyes for 2 seasons with fast breaks and balls into space for Antonio, Kudus to run onto because we were set up with the mid or low block, deep with 9 behind the ball at times.

Terrible to watch as it was 25% possession every game but to switch to the polar opposite overnight we needed to get ALL the right type of players in. We didnt.

Thats one reason why Loppy keeps “rearranging deckchairs on the Titanic” imo. Against Forest he actually tried to make us more defensive but still advanced full backs high up the pitch leaving CBs trying to match up with their wide pacey forwards. Mavrapanos was beaten by Moreno for pace for the first goal.  Not having a forward outlet too compounded the problem.

He doesnt have the squad to do what he has probably promised Sullivan, front foot attacking football.  If he doesnt become pragmatic and change tactics he will be sacked and deservedly so.  

We’ve got to get the recruitment right first. It was half right last summer imo. Addressed problems in the back line, couple of wide men to enhance the squad in those areas but completely wrong inthe central area of midfield and up front. Fullkrug could be ok but not in an 11 that can be selected from our squad currently and with these “run before you can walk” tactics. And we need a pacy forward option too like most other teams have.

long story short, we need a coach who can set up teams to play different ways not just one way because whoever comes in will have to wait until next summer to get the type of players we need. 

imho as always

[Lee Trundle]

I wouldn't mind for us going for a manager that's on the up, for once.

Anyway, it's a bit pointless talking about this.  I still think we're stuck with him for the vast majority of the season.

[Rossal]

He has to go today, as stated weeks back there is no reason to carry on with him.  Delaying it is just prolonging the inevitable while us fans suffer appalling results and performances in the mean time. 

I have little faith in Potter and Terzic being any good either (they're the 2 current names being chucked about).

We're stuck with him for the rest of the season.  Sullivan won't sack him as somehow there's 3 teams who are picking up worse results than us.

Potter i am not sure about. Terzic on paper looks attractive. But people saying the football he played at Dortmund was shit. 

We need a bright young coach,  Corboran at WBA is meant to be doing a cracking job, maybe he would be worth a shout. 

[Manuel]

It struck me yesterday that James Maddison couldn't get a start for Spurs (he came on and scored) and we have the likes of Soucek, Rodders, Soler and a bloke who hasn't played well for a year starting most weeks. Depressing shit.

[twoleftfeet]

I don’t care who comes in as long as they guarantee to play the youngsters. I watch, green with envy, other teams playing youth prospects whilst we keep deliberating about which OAP we want in goal or central midfield. This clown is a moron.

Give me a midfield of Orford, Soucek and Irving.

Nothing to lose.

[Lee Trundle]

He has to go today, as stated weeks back there is no reason to carry on with him.  Delaying it is just prolonging the inevitable while us fans suffer appalling results and performances in the mean time. 

I have little faith in Potter and Terzic being any good either (they're the 2 current names being chucked about).

We're stuck with him for the rest of the season.  Sullivan won't sack him as somehow there's 3 teams who are picking up worse results than us.

[Lee Trundle]

Not winning a trophy with Porto AND Real Madrid is a terrible record.

[Rossal]

He has to go today, as stated weeks back there is no reason to carry on with him.  Delaying it is just prolonging the inevitable while us fans suffer appalling results and performances in the mean time. 

[Massive Attack]

"or to the Quarters of the Champions League with Porto"

hahaha!

He's one of the very few managers not to win a trophy with Porto.  He then followed that up by doing the same at Real Madrid.

Yeah, to Guardiolas side. Hardly a terrible record whilst missing out on the League by 4 points to Benfica who have won the League the most. 

[Lee Trundle]

"or to the Quarters of the Champions League with Porto"

hahaha!

He's one of the very few managers not to win a trophy with Porto.  He then followed that up by doing the same at Real Madrid.

[Massive Attack]

Why are you bothering, really? You aren't going to convince a single person. This chump can't even speak or understand English? Did Iraola change his team and formation every week and have rucks with his players?

This is a West Ham Football Forum ain't it? So sorry for coming up with a different point of view and making the effort to put it forward. Clearly everyone's convinced it's a forgone conclusion and that an immediate change is precisely what we need.

 

I've read and I'm opposing your view. So again, did Iraola change his team and formation every week and have rucks with his players? And could he speak and understand English? I think they are key points, no, since you are comparing the two?

 

 

Lopetegui clearly can speak English, it might not be perfect but let's not pretend he cannot communicate at all, just as it proved at Wolves when they understood him and what he wanted to do. So that myth can be stopped. 

I have no idea as to what happens behind closed doors, so who the fuck knows what is going on exactly at Bournemouth. 

As for Team formation changes, no he didn't, even though it wasn't working at all at the start of the season in the relegation zone with just 6 points to their name after 10 games. But like I said before, Lopetegui's managerial style has always been to use different formations when he sees fit. He successfully did it at Wolves getting them above us in the League after being at the bottom of the table, or indeed at Sevilla where he won the Europa League, as well as get them in to the Champions League, or to the Quarters of the Champions League with Porto by not sticking to just 1 formation all the time. There's no 1 successful way of doing things be it relying on just 1 formation or whether they wish to change it depending on circumstances.