There are really few excuses for Julen Lopetegui’s disastrous start as West Ham manager.
Patience is wearing thin among West Ham fans, and indications suggest that the board is not far behind.
Sitting in 14th place is bad enough, but the performances have driven fans over the edge. However, James Jones indicated to the BBC that there are some explanations for this disastrous start.
“Previously I have accepted that we are in a transitional season, with many factors at play that would make a difficult start to the season understandable; a new manager, a new style of play, nine new players to be integrated and a new club captain,” said the coach.
“There had been a lot of upheaval, so I accepted that things were not going as planned. I was still hopeful that things would improve if Lopetegui was given time and space to focus on the task at hand.”
Nonetheless, Jones is beginning to suspect that these were not just minor issues, but rather part of a larger problem. “He keeps calling for consistency but fails to remain consistent in his team selection or tactics.”
“On top of that, the gamers appear to be really irritated with it. We’ve already seen three red cards this season, all for players losing their heads in frustration or making stupid, unnecessary tackles.
Finally, he maintains that it is “probably still too early” to make a decision about his future, but admits that the time is rapidly approaching.
