West Ham have the reputation for sticking with their managers / head coaches: Whilst that may not always be the right thing to do, the board are trying to persevere with Julen Lopetegui in the face of media and fan criticism. Many fans and pundits and critics alike claim it is simply down to money. David Sullivan is renown for not wanting to pay severance packages on parting company any more than he wants to pay compensation for taking new head coaches already in employment with another club.
Take a look at the image. It isn’t Julen Lopetegui in the pits of despair.
It is actually Ruben Amorim, the hot-shot manager who West Ham ‘missed out on’, enduring a torrid time at new club Manchester United.
Many West Ham fans were desperate to bring Amorim to West Ham as the perfect Lopetegui replacement.
Having been very vocal in my criticism of the West Ham board for failing to secure the ‘ambitious’, exciting young coach, I do feel it appropriate to show that his was not a recipe for instant success.
The Athletics article “Manchester United and Ruben Amorim are in a storm – who knows when it will pass?” Describes in detail the painful seven points from the last seven games and five defeats in his first ten – which may go some way to justify West Ham’s decision to stick with Lopetegui. Far from seeing a ‘new manager’ bounce, many clubs, including United, dive further before pulling out of a slump.
Whilst it would be wrong to claim West Ham have dodged a bullet, it may be that the measured response of giving Lopetegui time to develop will prove to be correct: Noticeable how the pro-Amorim faction seem have disappeared from Claret and Hugh’s chat ! Manchester United dropped below West Ham yesterday: Lets hope at least that that situation continues for the remainder of the season.
