West Ham fans knew their team would be a work in progress under a new manager and with so many new players.
Julen Lopetegui was always going to be under pressure from the get go at West Ham.
Replacing David Moyes means the media spotlight is on the man who walked out on Wolves on the eve of last season.
The Hammers board backing the former Spain and Sevilla boss with £155m worth of signings only added to that pressure.
West Ham fans are not silly.
They know it will take time for Lopetegui to get this new-look team playing how he wants.
But by the same token supporters have seen managers make an instant impact at other clubs in similar circumstances.
Supporters baffled by Lopetegui selection
Many West Ham fans have been left baffled by some of Lopetegui’s team selections so far.
Starting the likes of Michail Antonio, Tomas Soucek and Konstatinos Mavropanos over players brought in over the summer.
Playing Mohammed Kudus on the left has also been seen as a big red flag.
The two-week international break was seen as having come at the perfect time for Lopetegui.
He could get his message across to the players not away on international duty and drill down key tactical points.
Without Niclas Fullkrug due to injury, Lopetegui was widely expected to play Jarrod Bowen up front, switch Kudus to the right and bring in Crysencio Summerville on the left.
When the team for the clash with Fulham was announced just before 2pm, though, supporters were left completely bemused.
By half-time the feeling of bewilderment turned to anger and frustration.
What have West Ham fans just witnessed as big questions arise over Lopetegui.
Antonio, Soucek and Mavropanos were all named in the starting line-up once again.
What have West Ham fans just witnessed
Lucas Paqueta was dropped to the bench in favour of Soucek.
Social media was awash with criticism.
And West Ham fans were proved right.
Antonio and Soucek were so unbelievably bad in the first half they were hauled off at half-time.
Lopetegui was seen berating Antonio for walking around and failing to hold-up the ball on 18 minutes.
In truth he should have substituted him there and then.
The Hammers have committed £155m on nine signings and have a new manager yet here they are watching Antonio – a Championship striker at best at this stage of his career – leading the line yet again.
If Antonio was awful against Man City before the break he was dismal at Craven Cottage.
Mavropanos was at fault for the Fulham goal. The big Greek played Emile Smith Rowe five yards onside then ambled back and elected not to close him down as he made a simple square pass for Raul Jimenez to score.
Soucek was anonymous. A fish out of water in a more advanced role.
On the rare occasion West Ham did build up the play, when it got to Soucek it hit a dead end.
Lopetegui made changes at half-time bringing on Paqueta and Summerville.
It instantly made a difference.
So it begs the big question of Lopetegui if thousands of West Ham fans knew the starting line-up was a complete no-no, why didn’t he?
Kudus cut a frustrated figure for much of the game.
But Bowen – not having his best game – kept plugging away and proved the difference maker as he set up substitute Danny Ings for an equaliser at the death.
It’s a point West Ham barely deserved.
Big questions arise over Lopetegui
And make no mistake they were so wide open at the back, another – better – team would have been out of sight.
That has been a worrying theme of all the games under Lopetegui so far.
Everyone can see West Ham are a work in progress.
But that progress can’t begin until Lopetegui actually makes the changes needed to make this a NEW-LOOK team.
Antonio, Soucek and Mavropanos have surely played their way out of the side.
Now there will be even more focus on Lopetegui’s team selection for the next Premier League clash.
If those players start again and the likes of Summerville, Soler or Fullkrug if fit do not get a chance then big questions will be asked.
Changes simply must be made
West Ham will be mightily relieved with a point. And a point away from home for any West Ham team is always a good point.
But this game raised far more questions than it presented answers.
Fulham looked like scoring with every attack during long spells.
Lopetegui has it all to prove and an unlikely hero Ings got him off the hook big time.
There were no clear patterns of play or real sense of what Lopetegui is trying to achieve.
The press West Ham fans have been looking forward to was sporadic and largely ineffective too.
The Spaniard simply must ditch this tentative approach to overhauling the side and get on with it.
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