Julen Lopetegui may have been given one last chance by West Ham but David Sullivan has made it perfectly clear what’s expected.
Quite literally.
West Ham fans have been reacting angrily to Julen Lopetegui’s reprieve to remain as manager.
The 3-1 defeat at Leicester looked almost certain to be the Spaniard’s last.
If the game at the King Power was not quite billed a “must win” – it was certainly a “must not lose”.
Yet Lopetegui remains Hammers boss for the home game against Wolves on Monday night.
That has gone down like a lead balloon among West Ham’s supporters.
The away section among them demanded the 58-year-old be sacked, chanting exactly that as the Irons fell 2-0 and then 3-0 behind the lowly Foxes.
A board meeting was held on Thursday to determine the manager’s fate.
It was decided he would be given at least one more game.
The club’s owners have today explained why Lopetegui has been given one last chance at West Ham.
West Ham supporters believe the decision to give Lopetegui the Wolves game is pointless.
Sullivan sets Lopetegui mammoth West Ham target
Many point out that a victory over one of the worst teams in the league at home will prove little about the manager or the team’s prospects.
Four different journalists have claimed the reality of the situation is that the Hammers hierarchy are simply buying themselves time to get a replacement lined up.
A catalogue of different managers have been linked.
From Edin Terzic and Max Allegri to Graham Potter and Sergio Conceicao to name but a few.
Fans feel a change is needed while there is still time to salvage West Ham’s ailing season.
That’s why supporters are so frustrated the club are willing to waste yet another game with Lopetegui in charge.
If Lopetegui wins against Wolves, though, it does not guarantee he’ll be staying.
Far from it.
Because David Sullivan has set Lopetegui a mammoth West Ham target and it’s surely only a matter of time.
West Ham’s fixtures see them play Wolves on Monday night before a trip to Bournemouth next weekend.
That is followed by a home game against Brighton and the Boxing Day clash at Southampton.
Now according to Hammers insider Sean Whetstone, Sullivan has made things perfectly clear to Lopetegui about what’s expected.
Surely a matter of time as Hammers demand perfection
Quite literally in this case.
Because West Ham must be perfect in those matches to keep the former Spain boss in the job.
Whetstone says the Hammers must obviously beat Wolves for Lopetegui to survive.
But even if he does, he then has to record a win against Bournemouth, then Brighton and then Southampton too.
“The board hope the results will improve and the next five games will be crucial for Lopetegui’s survival, but a decision could come much sooner than that if bad results persist,” Whetstone said.
“He will need to go on a winning run, he needs to win against Wolves then Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton.”
Manage that and West Ham would find themselves on 27 points ahead of the game which marks the halfway point of the season against Liverpool.
It would also put the Hammers back on course to qualify for Europe in what is officially the most open Premier League season for 12 years.
The reality is that target is a huge ask.
Bournemouth and Brighton have been fantastic this season and are where West Ham expected to be in the table.
The Cherries beat Spurs last night 1-0 but it could and should have been by many more.
Can West Ham suddenly go from one of the worst defensive teams in the league to winning week in, week out for the next four games to keep Lopetegui in the job?
Time will tell but it seems highly unlikely.
It’s no wonder then that Lopetegui sounded like he was a beaten man in his latest West Ham press conference.
With the “perfect” target in place, the board will almost certainly continue talks in the background to have a replacement manager lined up.
And the club are now said to be considering one manager who is seriously exciting West Ham supporters.
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