Pundit tells West Ham to sack Julen Lopetegui as he hints at player unrest.
West Ham were always going to be in for a rough start to the season from the moment the fixture list came out but, for many, it was the performances that really disappointed.
After just a handful of games, some fans had already seen enough to make up their minds on Julen Lopetegui – he was an extremely unpopular choice from the start.
Unfortunately, it’s not just this group of fans who want him gone already as some pundits and journalists believe he will fail too, such as Dean Jones. “I’ll be honest, I’ve heard reports that there are a fair few people that are not convinced about Lopetegui, and obviously there was friction recently between him and Mohammed Kudus in the dressing room at half-time.”
“So there are other layers here that could affect the situation, but there’s emotion too, that is going to impact how this goes, and we’ll see whether they’re (the West Ham board) on the right side of those feelings once we come out of this break.”
“Honestly, I’d probably sack him. I think they’ve got it wrong. I don’t think this is the right man for them. I think it’s a waste of time. I’d sack him.”
While it’s not been the start anyone would have wanted, there’s absolutely no evidence of unrest behind the scenes. The Kudus situation is one that happens at every club on a regular basis and just shows he is passionate about doing well for the club. The Ipswich performance clearly showed heart and determination from the players, two things you don’t get when a manager has lost the dressing room.
If the Irons can go and get results out of the Tottenham and Manchester United games, it will be hard to imagine that anyone will be calling for the Spaniard to get the sack. Whether he’s the right man for the job or not remains to be seen, but he must be given a fair chance.