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

[Lee Trundle]

For me there is zero argument for giving him more time. He has been here 7 months and hasn't turned one part of us around. We're still painful to watch, the selection and subs are crazy and the players already don't seem to want to play for him. 

We have already given him 3 international breaks, countless '3 more games' and he has done fuck all with any of it. 

Giving him another 3 or 4 games is madness, just delaying the inevitable. 

 

On a human level though, I worry for Lope. He looks like he has aged about 10 years since the summer. His twitching is bad and he is blinking and stuttering. Genuinely concerned for the bloke. I think he needs to get out before the job kills him. Life's too short to be driven to illness by a job, no matter how well paid it is. 

Funny enough if there is one positive I'd remember him for is that he cares, that's for sure. He hasn't failed for the want of trying, and fwiw I would wish him all the best, unlike certain others.

That's the type of rubbish that probably got him the job in the first place.

He'll be rewarded handsomely for being shit at his job.  Who cares what he does after.

[Manuel]

For me there is zero argument for giving him more time. He has been here 7 months and hasn't turned one part of us around. We're still painful to watch, the selection and subs are crazy and the players already don't seem to want to play for him. 

We have already given him 3 international breaks, countless '3 more games' and he has done fuck all with any of it. 

Giving him another 3 or 4 games is madness, just delaying the inevitable. 

 

On a human level though, I worry for Lope. He looks like he has aged about 10 years since the summer. His twitching is bad and he is blinking and stuttering. Genuinely concerned for the bloke. I think he needs to get out before the job kills him. Life's too short to be driven to illness by a job, no matter how well paid it is. 

Funny enough if there is one positive I'd remember him for is that he cares, that's for sure. He hasn't failed for the want of trying, and fwiw I would wish him all the best, unlike certain others.

[Russ of the BML]

For me there is zero argument for giving him more time. He has been here 7 months and hasn't turned one part of us around. We're still painful to watch, the selection and subs are crazy and the players already don't seem to want to play for him. 

We have already given him 3 international breaks, countless '3 more games' and he has done fuck all with any of it. 

Giving him another 3 or 4 games is madness, just delaying the inevitable. 

 

 

Yes. Sadly its hard for anyone to disagree with that. He has had a lot of time and we still look like a team that doesn't know what style it is. Players that still look like they are unsure what to do. I mean, its a shit situation when the players play like they don't know the system but nobody can see what that system is. 

As Eusebiovic said, how can a so called experienced coach, still after all this time be playing such a high line with people like Alavarez, Soucek, KIlman and Mavropanos in the team. Even Todibo isn't quick. Then you go to Leicester with one of the best strikers in Vardy at playing off the shoulder and running into space onto through balls (see Leicester's first goal) and subsequent chances. Suicidal. 

Listening to TS today, even Ally McCoist was left scratching his head at AWB at left back, the high line we played and why during the game he brought on Summerville, Paqueta, Emerson and Antonio, asking why they didn't start in a game we had to win. He also commented on the players body language and how a couple of them ignored Lope during the game when wanted to give instructions. 

Bottom line is, nobody wanted him. After Moyes we needed a new direction. We had that sitting in the office but Sulli was too tight to pay the compo for Amorim. He went for the cheap safe option with Lope and I don't think he even realised he was employing Moyes who didn't speak English. It's been an unmitigated disaster. End of. 

On a human level though, I worry for Lope. He looks like he has aged about 10 years since the summer. His twitching is bad and he is blinking and stuttering. Genuinely concerned for the bloke. I think he needs to get out before the job kills him. Life's too short to be driven to illness by a job, no matter how well paid it is. 

[Manuel]

Fwiw, and as has been said before, word is Potter is not right for us and it def won't be him. Looks like Terzic would be favourite.

[Massive Attack]

Stubbs

Palace - 1 (frustrating)

How was that frustrating seeing us win 0-2 away in a London Derby? 

*And I think you meant to state 10, not 9 points.

[southbankbornnbred]

Don’t know when the board meets. Maybe it has happened?

One of many key questions that any board meeting has to ask of Lopetegui is how and why he has managed to fall out with so many players within six months of taking the job.

That is genuinely worrying. The players are frustrated, and now often annoyed and angry with the manager (and vice-versa). They have to play to win - and you can’t and won’t win games if you’re at loggerheads with the manager.

He’s already fallen out with Kudus, Alvarez, Todibo, Ward-Prowse (loaned out) etc. Bowen, our captain, visibly stopped listening to him at one point during one exchange in the Leicester game.

There’s a good chance that issue could end his tenure. He’ll say he’s passionate. But if you don’t have the players behind you, you’ll be out quickly.

 

[stubbo]

Surely he'd be gone by now with this board meeting held yesterday. With his press conference duties Friday before Monday night's game I doubt he'd be sacked today after holding another training session. 

 

 

Sounds like board meeting is today, with yesterday sounding out candidates.



Expect today to find out the lay of the land.



As for your list of games:



Villa - 0 (frustrating)

Palace - 1 (frustrating)

Man City - 0 (entertaining)

Fulham - 0 (frustrating)

Chelsea - 0 (frustrating)

Brentford - 1 (meh)

Ipswich - 3 (entertaining)

Spurs - 0 (frustrating)

Man Utd - 0 (funny whilst appalling)

Forest - 0 (frustrating)

Everton - 1 (mildly watchable)

Newcastle - 3 (entertaining)

Arsenal - 0 (didn't see the game)

Leicester - 1 (entertaining)



Total: 9 points.



That's my feel on the results we deserve based on the volume and quality of chances both created and conceded. 9 points, a fast majority of frustrating performances, with diabolical defending throughout.



From what I've seen we only really could have expected based on performances and chance creation to have won 2 games, relying on riding our luck and the other team missing clear cut goal scoring chances in a number of games, notably Palace and Man Utd.  Even Leicester yes we had lots of the ball and lots of shots and 1/2 or 3/4 chances...but they had 4 or 5 fantastic chances and 3 goals didn't flatter them.



From an entertainment perspective, we've been easier on the eye in dispatches, but it's been horribly frustrating as the defensive setup has been so bad, and most games we've been at best good for no more than one half of the game (often spells of one half). That's better than what we're 95% bore fests under Moyes punctuated by 'moments', but those moments were goals being scored and big chances.



Anyway as I say, sounds like we'll find out today with them leaning towards a change.  Dread who they bring in with Steidten's picks uninspiring, Sullivan's selection constraints hampering, and the pressure to get an appointment that delivers results in short order chastening.



My order of favoured appointment from those that have been rumoured at this point:



1. Terzic. Think he'd get his ideas over quickest, adapt to the squad we have and get us getting points the quickest without being as bad as Moyes on the eye.

2. Potter. Point to prove, but not sure he's the best mid season hire (as think his style needs time to bed in).

3. Schmidt. Has done well everywhere he's coached. Plays a modern style. Another 'old' manager though and suspect he might not fancy ceding player control to Steidten, plus aggressive pressing and positional rotation....do we have the squad?

4. Carrick. A gamble, but did ok at Man Utd with a bang average squad and has done pretty good things at Middlesbrough.

5. Conceicao. Expect would be an entertaining appointment, but could see him being another Lopetegui.

6. Hjelmand. Only know what I've read and a few Danish international games, but Steidten likes, his Danish team have done very well, and good with players by all accounts. Bad spell in Mainz and low win threshold domestically worrying.

7. The others. Allegri would play a defensive 3-4-3 and would be rejected from the start. Plus doesn't need us and would think was doing us a favour. Southgate less said the better. Cooper...*vomits*. 



If there was some way to get Hoeness, that would be my real strategic preference, but can't see it happening mid-seasoj on either end. Others would be Silva and Frank...but compensation makes them feel very very unlikely so not factored in.



Tick tock.

[Massive Attack]

Surely he'd be gone by now with this board meeting held yesterday. With his press conference duties Friday before Monday night's game I doubt he'd be sacked today after holding another training session. 

Has that board meeting been held already? I thought reports said that a meeting had been called and would be held in the next 72 hours? 

I'm assuming so. Think they said that on the radio yesterday morning. Other reports too..

https://www.givemesport.com/west-ham-un ... n-stadium/

[John Coffey]

Surely he'd be gone by now with this board meeting held yesterday. With his press conference duties Friday before Monday night's game I doubt he'd be sacked today after holding another training session. 

Has that board meeting been held already? I thought reports said that a meeting had been called and would be held in the next 72 hours? 

[Rossal]

For me there is zero argument for giving him more time. He has been here 7 months and hasn't turned one part of us around. We're still painful to watch, the selection and subs are crazy and the players already dont seem to want to play for him. 

We have already given him 3 international breaks, countless '3 more games' and he has done fuck all with any of it. 

Giving him another 3 or 4 games is madness, just delaying the inevitable. 

[eusebiovic]

Playing a high line with the midfielders we have is absolutely suicidal. No wonder the players have little faith in him.

Alvarez is very effective defending what is in front of him but if he's constantly tracking back playing catch up then with his slight lack of pace of course he is going to get booked all the time. Guido is even slower than that. Soucek does his best. 

We have no mobility in that area so don't fucking make them play such a high line until that has been properly addressed. 

[Massive Attack]

. It was a crappy situation towards the end, all possession and shots on goal, but no goals, 

 

 

We did score 1 and had another 1 wrongly disallowed for Soucek doing fuck all wrong to make it 1-1 at the time. 

[Takashi Miike]

he can't fucking speak english properly, go and watch a press conference. all that bollocks we were fed that he interviewed well, it's criminal what sullivan pulled, again

[Massive Attack]

Surely he'd be gone by now with this board meeting held yesterday. With his press conference duties Friday before Monday night's game I doubt he'd be sacked today after holding another training session. 

[Mex Martillo]

Yes, I thought Bowen wasn't listening, just wanted some water and to get back on the pitch. But a proper captain would have wanted to talk with the manager. It was a crappy situation towards the end, all possession and shots on goal, but no goals, what words of wisdom sort that out.

[Takashi Miike]

it's not just todibo and kudus. alvarez is another he's apparently had problems with, and then I heard a story about ward prowse being treated like shit during pre-season which led to him moving on. you only had to look at bowen taking instructions from him on tuesday, this isn't a happy team

[Mex Martillo]

Yes, mostly I'd like to see Lopetegui turn it round, but it's getting so difficult to be patient with this guy. Its the inconsistency and repeating the same defensive mistakes that's so hard to accept.

[Manuel]

His time is up, hopefully this "emergency' Board meeting comes to that conclusion, and we have someone lined up as cant see what the point is in giving him more time, he's past that stage, note he had a bust up with another player, Todibo this time, he needs binning so we can try and salvage something from this season, let's not leave it too late.

 

 

Hear what you are saying and can't argue with any of that, obviously falling out with players won't help at all. Normally I'd want his head on a plate of paella by now, but not sure who comes and we are stuck in the bottom half now anyway. We had 30 shots against Leicester, and beat Newcastle with 54 possession, which is unheard of for us. If, and it is an if, he can sort it out at the back, we may still get something going at some point soon, but yea probably clutching, admittedly.

[Massive Attack]

What does concern me is this bust-up between Todibo and Lopetegui. I'm hearing rumours that apparently Todibo lost his shit going way OTT when Bowen mentioned to others it was totally uncalled for. But it's the 2nd time Lopetegui has now been involved in a heated argument with a player, Kudus at Brentford.

What's difficult to gauge is whether Lopetegui has deserved the reactions or whether the players have chucked the toys out their pram for not having it their way. 

If it's down to the manager, then he does have to go as it's untenable. If it's down to the player's then they need to get real and sort their own shit out. Kudus afterall proved to everyone during the Spurs match that he can be a right petulant little disruptive cսnt that got himself a nice 5 match ban.. 

Without knowing the finer details, at this stage I'd give Lopetegui the benefit of the doubt when weighing up what we know of it all. 

Wolves is the game that probably decides his fate either way and I'd say rightly so. It's not looking good for him though as he's in last chance saloon with many...

[Sydney_Iron]

Not sure you can compare Arteta in any way, apart from both being Spanish its a nonstarter as far as i can see.

His time is up, hopefully this "emergency' Board meeting comes to that conclusion, and we have someone lined up as cant see what the point is in giving him more time, he's past that stage, note he had a bust up with another player, Todibo this time, he needs binning so we can try and salvage something from this season, let's not leave it too late.

[Manuel]

He still gets until the New year from me.
Arteta took longer to to get Arsenal going, look at them now.
We aren't going to get relegated and many of our fans have become a laughing stock. We have some very winnable games coming up and you can't trust Sullivan to appoint the right manager so I'm hoping Loppy comes good.

 

I said similar the other day, chuck in that we will probably fuck up the new appointment anyway, I do see an argument for giving him more time. The big problem though is he doesn't seem to be fixing the problems at the back, it only took Leicester two mins to capitalize on this.

Looks like he will get the Wolves game anyway, but lose that and I think it's going to be in 'untenable' territory.

[Massive Attack]

I came to 17 points and 10/14 matches that have been entertaining. 

We currently sit on 15 points after 14 matches. 

Arsenal - 0 - Entertaining 
Newcastle - 0 - Entertaining 
Chelsea - 0 - Boring 
Villa - 1 - Entertaining 
Everton - 3 - Boring
Spurs - 0 - Entertaining 
Palace - 3 - Entertaining 
Fulham - 1 - Boring
Man City - 0 - Entertaining 
Ipswich - 3 - Entertaining 
Forest - 1 - Boring
Brentford - 1 - Entertaining 
Man Utd - 1 - Entertaining 
Leciester - 3 - Entertaining 

17 points

Also 1 boring win and 1 entertaining loss in the Cup.

That's all the whilst having to put up with Paqueta’s head gone due to the FA charges, lengthy suspensions to key player's and injuries to key new major signings like Fullkrug, as well as Todibo constantly struggling to shake off a persistent injury at the other end of the pitch. 

Or were you and other's expecting significantly better points total?
 

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

Now that we've all seen how the season has panned out and how Teams have got on, how many points, realistically, do people think we should have right now?

And then also name how many of those games were entertaining/boring matches.

Interested to see where people think we should be points wise and how many of those games have been boring/entertaining to them..

Arsenal
Newcastle
Chelsea
Villa
Everton
Spurs
Palace
Fulham
Man City
Ipswich
Forest
Brentford
Man Utd
Leciester

2 Cup games against Premier League opposition

Bournemouth
Liverpool

We were  embarrassingly outplayed in ten of those games..
I think we're very lucky to have the points we have .

Which wasn't the questions I asked. 

No you're right it wasnt.
I'll try my best

VILLA.....easy for them..never laid a glove on em

NIGELS... outplayed and very fortunate to win that one.

MAN CITY....never in it ...and everyone knew it

FULHAM...we were shit and very lucky to get get a point.

CFC ... pathetic 

DAGLIIIIIIISH  in the cup....no words

BRENTFORD ....another lucky point ..second half we were alright....

FARMERS...first half was ropey second half went our way and ended up a bully up... TICK UP FOR US

N17...

SALFORD.....lucky lucky fuckers were we ..but I'll take it all day long...MASSIVE TICK UP FOR US

FOREST...just fuck off.

EVERTON ...road to nowhere

GEORDIES....deserved victory and we looked half decent..MASSIVE TICK UP FOR US 
​​​​​​
WOOLWICH....my life

BABIES...

[Massive Attack]

Now that we've all seen how the season has panned out and how Teams have got on, how many points, realistically, do people think we should have right now?

And then also name how many of those games were entertaining/boring matches.

Interested to see where people think we should be points wise and how many of those games have been boring/entertaining to them..

Arsenal
Newcastle
Chelsea
Villa
Everton
Spurs
Palace
Fulham
Man City
Ipswich
Forest
Brentford
Man Utd
Leciester

2 Cup games against Premier League opposition

Bournemouth
Liverpool

We were  embarrassingly outplayed in ten of those games..
I think we're very lucky to have the points we have .

Which wasn't the questions I asked. 

[Monsieur merde de cheval]

Now that we've all seen how the season has panned out and how Teams have got on, how many points, realistically, do people think we should have right now?

And then also name how many of those games were entertaining/boring matches.

Interested to see where people think we should be points wise and how many of those games have been boring/entertaining to them..

Arsenal
Newcastle
Chelsea
Villa
Everton
Spurs
Palace
Fulham
Man City
Ipswich
Forest
Brentford
Man Utd
Leciester

2 Cup games against Premier League opposition

Bournemouth
Liverpool

We were  embarrassingly outplayed in ten of those games..
I think we're very lucky to have the points we have .