A journalist has claimed technical director Tim Steidten was pushing for three managers without any joy but one looks to have been a blessing.
West Ham were not Julen Lopetegui’s first choice in the summer and he was not necessarily theirs.
That does not mean they were not made for each other, though, despite a difficult start.
Some sunlight has broken through the clouds that has started to gather over the London Stadium.
Frustrations had been bubbling at West Ham from the terraces to pitch, boardroom and dressing room.
It almost felt like politeness was stopping those early frustrations from boiling over in east London.
The majority of Hammers fans were too polite and knowledgeable to start questioning a manager just two months into a massive job after a turnaround of 21 players.
Players looking out for themselves while the manager tries to mould a host of strangers into a proper team.
A board that was watching it all unfold praying their choices and investment had not been wasted.
In the end, though, it looks like it may have taken that tete-a-tete between Lopetegui and star player Mohammed Kudus to break the ice and light a fire on this new West Ham era.
The 4-1 win over Ipswich was West Ham’s performance of the year so far. Not that it had much competition of course.
Is it a coincidence the markedly performance and result came after Lopetegui made it abundantly clear who is boss by confronting Kudus and accusing him of not being a team player at Brentford?
Time will tell.
There is no doubting who is in charge now, though, that’s for sure.
West Ham must thank stars they didn’t end up with Steidten pick
Even, though, if Tim Steidten had his way that may not have been the case.
According to The Sun’s Matt Hughes, Steidten preferred Amorim, whom he and David Sullivan met for talks, Paulo Fonseca, Sergio Conceicao or Fabian Hurzeler.
But West Ham should thank their lucky stars they didn’t end up with one of those alleged Steidten picks.
Fonseca was a name that very much interested West Ham fans.
The Hammers had interviewed the then Lille boss for the job previously but opted against it.
Fonseca, like his compatriot Amorim, was a name that excited West Ham fans given the good job he’d done at Lille.
At that stage Lopetegui was also said to be on West Ham’s final shortlist alongside Fonseca.
But the Spaniard looked set to join AC Milan instead.
That was until the Italian giants withdrew their contract offer following a large scale protest petition from the club’s fans.
Many West Ham supporters were convinced Fonseca was the next best bet after Amorim.
But the Portuguese rather ironically benefitted from Milan’s Lopetegui contract withdrawal as he became the Italian giants’ new boss instead.
Milan are down in sixth, already five points off Serie A leaders Napoli.
And there has been talk Fonseca could face an early sacking with the board, fans and – allegedly – some players not convinced by him.
While Lopetegui has been showing West Ham’s stars who is boss, the opposite is true in Milan.
As Lopetegui shows Hammers who’s boss, Fonseca is undermined and under pressure
Fonseca was reduced to something of a laughing stock as Milan were beaten 2-1 by Fiorentina at the weekend.
Some fans may have heard about David de Gea’s penalty heroics in the game.
But the real story behind it is Fonseca being completely undermined by Milan’s players.
Milan failed to convert two penalties in the defeat.
And it emerged their players twice went against the manager’s orders when deciding who would take them.
The man who Steidten fancied for the Hammers job was left fuming in his post-match press conference revealing Christian Pulisic is the Rossoneri’s designated penalty taker.
First Theo Hernandez saw his effort saved in the first half and then Tammy Abraham had his stopped too in the second half.
Milan players decided to change the designated penalty kick taker from Pulisic leaving Fonseca in a blind rage after the game.
“Of course I am upset (that players changed the penalty kick taker),” Fonseca said post match, as reported by Football Italia.
“Christian should take penalties. It must never happen again, and I told the players.”
The incident screams weak management.
In light of that, West Ham fans will surely be grateful they have a head coach in place who will not allow his players to take liberties.
By the sounds of it, Fonseca would have been eaten alive at West Ham.
For the incidents at West Ham and Milan to come a week apart is perhaps a sign the Hammers made the right call in the summer.
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