Steidten Out

[Massive Attack]

I want this costly clueless conniving cսnt gone. We have suffered persistent injuries to expensive key signings this season, as well as others who just don't cut it against Premier League opposition, or have suspect temperaments/injury records previously known and they're all his picks. He clearly doesn't do his due diligence well enough as one of the stories of the season has been us suffering injuries to key new signings..

Fullkrug £27M - Suspect Injury History 

Todibo £34M (if avoid relegation) - Suspect Injury History/Suspect attitude problems at Barcelona 

Mavropanos £19M - Just utter dogshit (and ironically probably now out injured as well due to concussion for 10 days like Fabianski)

Alvarez £35M - Nowhere near good enough for the money we spent on him looking lost and slow as arseholes against Premier League opposition 

Kudus is just about the only costly signing that's come off that's genuine quality, although even he now has suspect temperament issues when getting himself a 5 match ban for fighting an entire Spurs Team in front of everyone. So fuck knows what he's also like behind the scenes..

Just sick of the persistent injuries to key players that has derailed our season and continues to do so on tonights evidence with Fullcrock, as well as all the unsettling bollocks behind the scenes. There's no smoke without fire and I now make that not 1 but 2 Managers in quick succession that allegedly told him to stay away from the Training Ground. It makes me wonder whether he is our Club Mole all along who has persistently leaked things out to the Media from either within the Dressing Room/Snaps with managers behind another managers back that then coincidentally get leaked at just the right time? A manager who was humiliated in the media for taking at least 2 Training sessions and possibly a 3rd on the last day he eventually got sacked and the whole thing was handled terribly which again points to Steidten and his breakdown in his 2nd relationship with a manager. And he's supposed to work with them, not against them!

On the radio yesterday when discussing Steidten someone mentioned how odd they thought it was to see him down by the players tunnel/dressing room area as well as doing interviews with TNT during the Chelsea loss earlier in the season and they thought good Technical Directors aren't seen front and centre as much as this one always appears to be. He's certainly got an impressive holiday snap collection he leaks to the media as soon as he takes them. 

The longer this season has panned out the more and more I've thought something just doesn't sit right at the Club and I genuinely think he has been at the heart of a lot of our issues. I suppose that's why it's now been known his position is under review and they're already on to him, hence why Potter swerved the Steidten question possibly knowing something we don't about him. 

Or does anyone still believe he's the right man to guide our Club making such big decisions within it?

 

[Jean-Luc Paul Goddard]

He worked under sports director Simon Rolfes at Leverkusen and left there pretty sharpish due to "mutual consent" although not sure why.  Seems to possibly have a habit of either not getting on with managers or others in high positions or falling out with them.  All a bit strange considering his appointment was considered quite a coup at the time.

What happened was that Leverkusen had an MD for Sport (Rudi Voller) and a Director of Football (Simon Rolfes). When Voller left, Rolfes took the MD job but rather than promote Steidten he also retained his previous role as well. This made Steidten start looking for jobs elsewhere. When it became known that he'd had talks with Chelsea, Leverkusen immediately put him on gardening leave as they didn't want him passing on info to his new club.

[El Scorchio]

Who's shifting blame away from Sullivan? Everyone to a man, woman and child that follows this Club pretty much wants him gone (a decade ago) and that won't ever change. He's to blame for all our ills. That doesn't mean others that work for the Club cannot also be blamed when they fuck up which Steidten has with recruitment, just as Lopetegui did failing to implement his ideas quick enough. It's not an exclusive thing where only 1 person is to blame but calling Steidten out for how he's got on at the Club over the course of 2 seasons showing little progress is more than fair. He has seriously made a dogs dinner of our Squad make-up since he arrival and he's spent a pretty penny to achieve it too. 

Steidten out, Sullivan out, Brady out, we need to clear the decks completely if I had it my way to progress and why I want Kretinsky to start thinking seriously about whether he wants to finally get rid of our cancer within our Club once or for all, or let's hear from others willing to take us over. I'm sick and tired of too many cooks at the Club spoiling it for the fans. 1 half decent new Owner is the answer to that and it's long overdue Sullivan was kicked out the Club too.

Sullivan is shifting the blame away from Sullivan. That’s the whole point and that’s his game with every scapegoat he’s made at the club since he’s been here. It’s absolute bread and circuses. 

I clearly said that doesn’t excuse individual failures, but Sullivan spreading his poison in the media through his mouthpieces to vilify his own staff whom he employed and distance himself from them time and time again is merely a distraction to preoccupy minds. He’s spread shit about all the past personnel and It’ll happen to Potter and Macaulay next and round and round it’ll go again until we are finally free of him. 

[Massive Attack]

Who's shifting blame away from Sullivan? Everyone to a man, woman and child that follows this Club pretty much wants him gone (a decade ago) and that won't ever change. He's to blame for all our ills. That doesn't mean others that work for the Club cannot also be blamed when they fuck up which Steidten has with recruitment, just as Lopetegui did failing to implement his ideas quickly and coherently enough. It's not an exclusive thing where only 1 person is to blame but calling Steidten out for how he's got on at the Club over the course of 2 seasons showing little progress is more than fair. He has seriously made a dogs dinner of our Squad make-up since his arrival and he's spent a pretty penny to achieve it too. 

Steidten out, Sullivan out, Brady out, we need to clear the decks completely if I had it my way to progress and why I want Kretinsky to start thinking seriously about whether he wants to finally get rid of our cancer within our Club once or for all, or let's hear from others willing to take us over. I'm sick and tired of too many cooks at the Club spoiling it for the fans. 1 half decent new Owner is the answer to that and it's long overdue Sullivan/Brady was kicked out the Club as well.

[El Scorchio]

I think we can all agree TS was a mixed bag but vilifying him for our failures is pointless and wrong. He was only a limb. As was Newman and Moyes and Lop and as is potter and as is Macaulay. Not to say any would have led us to the promised land by any means but all would have and would be able to do their jobs at least a little more successfully were it not for something bigger manipulating all the limbs

The club is rotten from the head down. Sullivan can cut off as many limbs and regrow them as suits him to try and shift blame and hide behind the failures he set them all up for time and again, but most people see through it. The problems will never be fixed until he’s gone. it’s just a matter of time before he turns on Potter and Macaulay and starts spreading bile in the media, whether results don’t turn around, whether one player they insist on having doesn’t perform, or whether they do a single thing behind the scenes which displeases him, or probably if they just ‘get over’ with the fans leaving himself as the main target with no one to hide behind. I’m sure that last one partly did for Bilic. Cant have anyone getting too popular and taking any shine for success away from him. It does him a favour if the manager or technical director or certain players are the ones attracting our ire. 

[pdcwhu]

This man "was" a Genius 

[onsideman]

So many misinformed people on forums and with their own channels still refer to Steidten as a Director of Football. He simply wasnt. Had no autonomy, budget or purchase limit sign off authority. He was called a Technical Director. It was a hybrid role involving scouting/ player identification using the small, only recently established analyst dept and getting deals for players brokered or “over the line” with agent and player negotiations. Sullivan retained control as he always has but less “hands on”.

Set up for a fall by Sullivan if things went south which they did. Steidten’s mate in Germany said only 2 players ( ( Kudus and Todibo ) were his first choice picks, players he thought were very good value in terms of their quality. He would have had some others identified on lists of options but some players also came via Salthouse and Sullivan and Lopetegui made it known he wanted Soler, Rodders and Kilman. 

But some hard of thinking fans are buying into the narrative the media ate pushing that the summer window was all Steidtens fault. The media are being fed / manipulated by Sullivan.

When will people wake up. Steidten may have not worked out longer term but you dont scape goat a bloke after one window and a bloke who was just part of the recruitment process and had limited power and influence.



 

 

 

But you're similarly buying into a narrative, albeit a different one. 

I'm sure that if he had brought in Wharton or Rogers or or Delap or Gitttens, for example, everyone would have a very different view. Stubbo now claims he had nothing to do with Mavropanos yet he was, at that time, active in the market from which he came so *must* have given his opinion,  and despite the fact he was in demand and apparently highly regarded, Todibo had been let go twice and is a very, very long way from the defender we needed. At £35m.

...and this totally impotent role still enabled him to employ staff such as Hahn and his brother.

... and he had 3 windows (excluding this one) not one

[zico]

He worked under sports director Simon Rolfes at Leverkusen and left there pretty sharpish due to "mutual consent" although not sure why.  Seems to possibly have a habit of either not getting on with managers or others in high positions or falling out with them.  All a bit strange considering his appointment was considered quite a coup at the time.

[Massive Attack]

How about framing it another way..

Would people rather keep Steidten in post, or prefer Macauley now Head of Recruitment? 

[Lee Trundle]

Whatever his job title was, it does seem like it was a promotion from his previous role at Leverkusen.

And for him to get banned by BOTH previous managers, might mean he was a bit classless in the way he went about things.

[Sir Alf]

So many misinformed people on forums and with their own channels still refer to Steidten as a Director of Football. He simply wasnt. Had no autonomy, budget or purchase limit sign off authority. He was called a Technical Director. It was a hybrid role involving scouting/ player identification using the small, only recently established analyst dept and getting deals for players brokered or “over the line” with agent and player negotiations. Sullivan retained control as he always has but less “hands on”.

Set up for a fall by Sullivan if things went south which they did. Steidten’s mate in Germany said only 2 players ( ( Kudus and Todibo ) were his first choice picks, players he thought were very good value in terms of their quality. He would have had some others identified on lists of options but some players also came via Salthouse and Sullivan and Lopetegui made it known he wanted Soler, Rodders and Kilman. 

But some hard of thinking fans are buying into the narrative the media ate pushing that the summer window was all Steidtens fault. The media are being fed / manipulated by Sullivan.

When will people wake up. Steidten may have not worked out longer term but you dont scape goat a bloke after one window and a bloke who was just part of the recruitment process and had limited power and influence.

 

[factory seconds]

Fucking hell, yeah alright mate. Steitden's been doing great work for us by spending the money wisely and wasn't an issue for 2 (not 1) consecutive managers wanting him banned from the Training Ground.
 

he was banned because he was "going behind their back" by seeking replacements for the piss poor jobs they were doing.

that search was of course sanctioned by the owners, but neither moyes nor lopetegui had the stomach for fight so they lashed out at the castrato of a DoF who at any other club would've had full power to sack them on the spot.

[Mad Dog]

Ironically if have preferred it if the last 2 managers had been banned from thr training ground

[Massive Attack]

Fucking hell, yeah alright mate. Steitden's been doing great work for us by spending the money wisely and wasn't an issue for 2 (not 1) consecutive managers wanting him banned from the Training Ground.

[Russ of the BML]

I find it astonishing that anyone who claims to have more than two brain cell's can twist this to be the fault of Tim. 

I don't need to go into the intricate details but he was brought in by Sullivan and then immediately disabled by the fact that Sullivan could not control Moyes ego. Then he warns against Lopetegui but has him dumped on him. Now he's got Sullivan rounding on him. It's a fucking shit show. He is better off at a proper club. God help the cսnt that replaces him. 

It's just fucking tragic. And you have people like Massive who have just spent the last six weeks trying to convince himself and others that Lope was a good coach and now doing all he can to pass the buck to Tim. I think Massive is Sullivan posting under a different name. 

[Massive Attack]

What the fuck are you on about, Stubbs? 

It's only an opinion on a Football Forum and all I've said is I thought it was wrong going for him at the price we paid, it aint any deeper than that. Contact the Club...

[stubbo]

I wasn't guessing, I checked out his injury history at the time to double check as I knew he had a past of injuries and wondered just how bad it was and it didn't read well to me. When I coupled that knowledge with his age I wanted us to fuck the idea right off paying £27M+ for him. 

Duran I was fully on board for but definitely not the carthorse and been consistent with that all season long how stupid the Club could be to make such a bad gamble, especially as Sullvian has a long track record of bringing in expensive sixknote Strikers. I couldn't believe he agreed to sign it off but really as I shouldn't as his decision making can be so awful at times.

By definition you were guessing, because you can't predict the future. Educated guess maybe, but a guess. If you KNEW why didn't you go tell the club. 

If you can see the future where player signings are concerned then I implore you to approach the club and be a key due diligence part of our future transfer singings.

Like I say. His RECENT career history (over some seasons) was not bad. He was a risk. But he has shown if he's fit he'll score goals in the Premier League. But we've been a little unlucky.

Dont forget the club conduct medicals, undertaken by medical professionals, which will include checking the status and healing of previous injuries. They report to the club who then make the call on it. What was the outcome of that detailed, up to date, medical report?

[Massive Attack]

I wasn't guessing, I checked out his injury history at the time to double check as I knew he had a past of injuries and wondered just how bad it was and it didn't read well to me. When I coupled that knowledge with his age I wanted us to fuck the idea right off paying £27M+ for him. 

Duran I was fully on board for but definitely not the carthorse and been consistent with that all season long how stupid the Club could be to make such a bad gamble, especially as Sullvian has a long track record of bringing in expensive sicknote Strikers. I couldn't believe he agreed to sign it off but really I shouldn't as his decision making can be so awful at times.

[stubbo]

No revisionism, I was banging on about Fullkrug being a waste of money from the start. Can remember Alfs and I were 2 who would say we shouldn't have done it.


 

The point is though you were guessing. It wasn't like signing someone who was just coming back from an ACL. He'd had pretty much 3 seasons of minor injuries that took games here and there. Not big iniuries. Much like Antonio in the last few years of his career after an early.career punctuated by massive lost game time. Well done you guessed right....but you didn't KNOW. Did you review his medical report. Nope...you guessed. Well done. Was Ings an injury nightmare...similar profiles I suspect I jury wise. What about Antonio pre-car crash? I won an 4-fold ACCA last week. Did I know? Nope...was an educated guess thatost weeks I get wrong.

[Massive Attack]

No revisionism, I was banging on about Fullkrug being a waste of money from the start. Can remember Alfs and I were 2 who would say we shouldn't have done it.

 

[threesixty]

I’m still completely undecided on this. I was happy with all of the signings at the time but agree that in hindsight, a lot of it was wasted money that could have been used better. How much of it is bad luck or could have been identified with better diligence is difficult to ascertain. 

Bad injury record is clear about Fullkrug and I called it out at the time that I was uncomfortable with him signing with such history as well as his age for a whopping £27.5M. My fears came to fruition sadly. 

Todibo is also known to have suspect attitude and injury concerns in the past and this is only research done on the net, not the channels to information they'll have to hand (or should know) a lot better than what we can find out. 

Mavropanos has long been known to be a dud since Wenger launched him out the Club, yet we drop £19M big ones on him, when he's worth less than half that. 

Guilherme, did he really see enough of him or sign him for big money for a 17/18yo based in part on impulsiveness due to the fact he played alongside megastar Endrick and Co and possibly got carried away? It feels that way to me looking at it now.

Alvarez discipline record shouldn't have been a surprise either having got himself booked a whopping 16 times and sent off the season before we signed him for Ajax alone.

His due diligence came across as poor and now we have an expensively assembled mish mash of players which has exacerbated our problems, not improved them. He generally overpays far too much for what he gets and that's probably why the 'fixer' gets deals done quicker than others. Not good enough I'm afraid and it's right the Club fuck him off before he does anymore costly damage.

 

A little bit of revisionist insight here.

1. Everyone was fawning over Alvarez in his first season. People were saying Steidten "shouldn't get the credit because he only closed the deal, Mark Noble identified him". And Moyes signed him...per his contract and ownership on signings whilst he was in charge.

2. Fullkrug is very easy to call after the event. Very Captain Hindsight. If he'd matched his injury status of the previous 3 years, MA would being called out as a know-nothing cսnt who couldn't read the trend change. He's a very good player and will score goals if he regains his fitness. He doesn't rely on pace, and could yet turn out a success for us.

3. Mavropanos was signed under Moyes. And we all know who made signing decisions under Moyes....Moyes. it was written into his contract directly. He was a David Moyes signing....at best Steidten brought his availability to his attention and brokered a deal, and he was signed as a backup centre back (for which he is more than a suitable candidate in our squad). But make no mistakes Moyes signed him, Sullivan signed off the financials. And in that first season for Moyes in a different style of defending be performed very very well....our best CB that season despite being bought as backup.

4. Guilherme remains well thought of outside of West Ham circles. He retains a value at where we signed him on Transfermarkt.  Know one will know if he's a good signing for two or three years and to judge the player right now is grossly unfair. He's in the first team squad, getting first team minutes and is 18. If he was English he'd be being lauded as having a break through season, just like Orford and Scarles are being.  Will you be castigating Casey in the same way if he's not selected today and we play others out of position to cover him instead?

5. Todibo was wanted by Man Utd (weren't allowed to sign him), Juventus, and is still a young player. He had some of the most impressive progressive defender stats in Europe and was lauded by all and sundry as a huge coup when we signed him. He may still turn out awesome, and his injury now is symptomatic of Lopetegui playing him against the advice of the Club's medical staff, per Roshane Thomas. Full Captain Hindsight mode on this guy told.

 

 

Great post. 
I’m tired of all this revisionist nonsense. 
Coming from all these YT bloggers and stuff. It’s all bs. 

[Fauxstralian]

Suspect we may not see Fullkrug again
Especially if we buy in this window 
All the 30+ strikers need to go in the summer

Seems pretty obvious that Steidten will be off soon 
Had his ups & downs but obviously Sullivan wants all the blame for mistakes on someone else

[stubbo]

I’m still completely undecided on this. I was happy with all of the signings at the time but agree that in hindsight, a lot of it was wasted money that could have been used better. How much of it is bad luck or could have been identified with better diligence is difficult to ascertain. 

Bad injury record is clear about Fullkrug and I called it out at the time that I was uncomfortable with him signing with such history as well as his age for a whopping £27.5M. My fears came to fruition sadly. 

Todibo is also known to have suspect attitude and injury concerns in the past and this is only research done on the net, not the channels to information they'll have to hand (or should know) a lot better than what we can find out. 

Mavropanos has long been known to be a dud since Wenger launched him out the Club, yet we drop £19M big ones on him, when he's worth less than half that. 

Guilherme, did he really see enough of him or sign him for big money for a 17/18yo based in part on impulsiveness due to the fact he played alongside megastar Endrick and Co and possibly got carried away? It feels that way to me looking at it now.

Alvarez discipline record shouldn't have been a surprise either having got himself booked a whopping 16 times and sent off the season before we signed him for Ajax alone.

His due diligence came across as poor and now we have an expensively assembled mish mash of players which has exacerbated our problems, not improved them. He generally overpays far too much for what he gets and that's probably why the 'fixer' gets deals done quicker than others. Not good enough I'm afraid and it's right the Club fuck him off before he does anymore costly damage.

 

 

A little bit of revisionist insight here.

1. Everyone was fawning over Alvarez in his first season. People were saying Steidten "shouldn't get the credit because he only closed the deal, Mark Noble identified him". And Moyes signed him...per his contract and ownership on signings whilst he was in charge.

2. Fullkrug is very easy to call after the event. Very Captain Hindsight. If he'd matched his injury status of the previous 3 years, MA would being called out as a know-nothing cսnt who couldn't read the trend change. He's a very good player and will score goals if he regains his fitness. He doesn't rely on pace, and could yet turn out a success for us.

3. Mavropanos was signed under Moyes. And we all know who made signing decisions under Moyes....Moyes. it was written into his contract directly. He was a David Moyes signing....at best Steidten brought his availability to his attention and brokered a deal, and he was signed as a backup centre back (for which he is more than a suitable candidate in our squad). But make no mistakes Moyes signed him, Sullivan signed off the financials. And in that first season for Moyes in a different style of defending be performed very very well....our best CB that season despite being bought as backup.

4. Guilherme remains well thought of outside of West Ham circles. He retains a value at where we signed him on Transfermarkt.  Know one will know if he's a good signing for two or three years and to judge the player right now is grossly unfair. He's in the first team squad, getting first team minutes and is 18. If he was English he'd be being lauded as having a break through season, just like Orford and Scarles are being.  Will you be castigating Casey in the same way if he's not selected today and we play others out of position to cover him instead?

5. Todibo was wanted by Man Utd (weren't allowed to sign him), Juventus, and is still a young player. He had some of the most impressive progressive defender stats in Europe and was lauded by all and sundry as a huge coup when we signed him. He may still turn out awesome, and his injury now is symptomatic of Lopetegui playing him against the advice of the Club's medical staff, per Roshane Thomas. Full Captain Hindsight mode on this guy told.

[goose]

I still think Fullkrug will come good. There’s no doubting his ability. Just needs chances created for him.

[threesixty]

I’m still completely undecided on this. I was happy with all of the signings at the time but agree that in hindsight, a lot of it was wasted money that could have been used better. How much of it is bad luck or could have been identified with better diligence is difficult to ascertain. 

Bad injury record is clear about Fullkrug and I called it out at the time that I was uncomfortable with him signing with such history as well as his age for a whopping £27.5M. My fears came to fruition sadly. 

Todibo is also known to have suspect attitude and injury concerns in the past and this is only research done on the net, not the channels to information they'll have to hand (or should know) a lot better than what we can find out. 

Mavropanos has long been known to be a dud since Wenger launched him out the Club, yet we drop £19M big ones on him, when he's worth less than half that. 

Guilherme, did he really see enough of him or sign him for big money for a 17/18yo based in part on impulsiveness due to the fact he played alongside megastar Endrick and Co and possibly got carried away? It feels that way to me looking at it now.

Alvarez discipline record shouldn't have been a surprise either having got himself booked a whopping 16 times and sent off the season before we signed him for Ajax alone.

His due diligence came across as poor and now we have an expensively assembled mish mash of players which has exacerbated our problems, not improved them. He generally overpays far too much for what he gets and that's probably why the 'fixer' gets deals done quicker than others. Not good enough I'm afraid and it's right the Club fuck him off before he does anymore costly damage.

 

 

Really dont agree. I think a bad workman blames his tools.


Fullkrug hasn't been injured seriously since 2021.
He was going to share striker duty with Antonio anyway.
It wasnt that much money for a German International no.9 striker.
Lewandoski is 36.. Kane is 31 as well. The reason I wouldn't have bought Fulkrug was pace, nothing else. Hindsight is 20/20, had he not got injured on international duty we wouldn't be talking about this. Its a silly conversation.

The reality is, West Ham want players to take them to the next level but dont want to pay out for them. So they take punts on "fixer uppers". When we buy championship talent people say they aren't ready or not good enough (Flyn Downes, Benrahma, Summerville etc) to start in the 1st team. We dont produce any academy players good enough either. So what do you buy? The foreign players with potential like Caicedo or Cuccerrela we dont want to develop as we dont have the time (i.e. Guilherme). 
So when we take a punt and it goes wrong everyone moans.

Liverpool paid nearly 85m for Nunez, Someone we wanted as well, but he is barely 1 in 4 for one of the most creative teams in the world. Shit happens. Thats the legendary FSG scouting network there. This is football. Its not an exact or always obvious science.

But anyway, they say history is written by the victors.. Sullivan definitely "won" again here.

[Massive Attack]

I’m still completely undecided on this. I was happy with all of the signings at the time but agree that in hindsight, a lot of it was wasted money that could have been used better. How much of it is bad luck or could have been identified with better diligence is difficult to ascertain. 

Bad injury record is clear about Fullkrug and I called it out at the time that I was uncomfortable with him signing with such history as well as his age for a whopping £27.5M. My fears came to fruition sadly. 

Todibo is also known to have suspect attitude and injury concerns in the past and this is only research done on the net, not the channels to information they'll have to hand (or should know) a lot better than what we can find out. 

Mavropanos has long been known to be a dud since Wenger launched him out the Club, yet we drop £19M big ones on him, when he's worth less than half that. 

Guilherme, did he really see enough of him or sign him for big money for a 17/18yo based in part on impulsiveness due to the fact he played alongside megastar Endrick and Co and possibly got carried away? It feels that way to me looking at it now.

Alvarez discipline record shouldn't have been a surprise either having got himself booked a whopping 16 times and sent off the season before we signed him for Ajax alone.

His due diligence came across as poor and now we have an expensively assembled mish mash of players which has exacerbated our problems, not improved them. He generally overpays far too much for what he gets and that's probably why the 'fixer' gets deals done quicker than others. Not good enough I'm afraid and it's right the Club fuck him off before he does anymore costly damage.