West Ham fans are not stupid and know when something isn’t right so they will appreciate a key player finally showing some honesty.
During pre-season West Ham fans were concerned by how poor their side looked.
The Hammers were giving up chances at their goal at the same alarming rate as they had been under David Moyes last season.
Julen Lopetegui had only just taken over and didn’t have most of his players back or his new signings involved, though.
So West Ham fans gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Fast forward three months, to the quarter-way stage of the new season, and things are somehow worse.
Lopetegui is fighting for his job after another dismal defeat, this time 3-0 away at Nottingham Forest.
West Ham fans have actually been remarkably patient thus far.
There is absolutely no doubt the time had come to part ways with Moyes.
That doesn’t mean Lopetegui was the man supporters wanted, though.
To the contrary, many were totally underwhelmed when he was brought in.
West Ham’s most senior player makes damning claim
West Ham fans will always give a manager or player a chance.
But they’re nobody’s fools.
On the pitch, concerns have been raised over Lopetegui’s tactics, team selections and substitutions as well as a lack of discipline – in every sense.
Off it, Lopetegui has failed to enthuse or inspire fans with drab press conferences and interviews offering nothing but tired stock platitudes and refusing to engage with straightforward questions.
West Ham fans and journalists who felt Moyes’ press conferences were dull have been shocked to find Lopetegui’s are far worse.
The actions of certain players have done little to dampen reports of unrest in the ranks.
There has been a distinct lack of resilience and leadership too with Lopetegui’s decision to make Jarrod Bowen captain being called into question.
Throw in the fact there has been no evidence of any visible progress in how West Ham play – or even any discernible style or identity – and the London Stadium is littered with red flags.
Fans keep hearing the same thing week in, week out. Apologies from the manager and players and ‘we must improve’.
Well now someone has shown a bit of gumption and refreshing honesty.
Supporters might appreciate it but they, the manager and owners will not like what they’re hearing.
Because West Ham’s most senior player has made a damning claim about training and leadership under Lopetegui.
Fabianski’s honest admission about training and leadership
Lukasz Fabianski turns 40 in April.
The fact West Ham have reverted back to the fantastic servant as their number one kind of sums up where they are as a squad.
Somehow Tim Steidten and Lopetegui have conspired to make the second oldest squad in the Premier League THE oldest in the summer.
That’s despite promising a rebuild around young, exciting players.
Fabianski may be pushing 40 but he is the least of West Ham’s problems.
In fact without him they’d have lost by five at Forest and Man United would have been out of sight last week too.
Fabianski has now used his platform as the senior pro in the changing room to finally give it to the fans straight.
The goalkeeper has spoken after the Forest hiding in which Edson Alvarez was sent off for the second time this season.
Fabianski has admitted West Ham simply crumbled yet again.
And he attributes it to their approach to training and the leadership – or lack of it – within the group.
“It’s just an(other) example of us not managing the game in the right way, and I think we’ve seen that on other occasions this season as well,” Fabianski told West Ham’s own website.
“It’s really disappointing…
“I think that’s up to all of us.
“We’ve worked on lots of different aspects of our game, but we need to lead in different ways in training and games, and step up, and it’s up to us to go away and do that now.”
Lukasz deserves credit for finally telling fans the truth
Wow, that is damning.
It is the first time anyone involved with West Ham’s first team has admitted there is lack of leadership in training and in games.
But it’s not the first time those concerns have been raised.
In fact former Hammers skipper Nigel Reo-Coker warned this was coming.
Just over a month ago Reo-Coker revealed that he visited West Ham’s training under Lopetegui over the summer.
He said that what he witnessed seriously worried him.
Reo-Coker claimed he saw a distinct lack of characters in the team and highlighted it as a major concern.
Now Fabianski has confirmed those fears.
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