West Ham put in another disappointing performance which saw them jeered off at half-time and full-time by bored fans.
If not for a miss of the season contender from Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson spurning two gilt-edged late chances, West Ham would have been on the end of another defeat against Brighton.
After losing at Leicester, West Ham fans were calling for Julen Lopetegui to be sacked.
West Ham’s owners called an emergency meeting where replacements were discussed.
Finding someone willing to take over until the end of the season was the biggest issue.
As talks continued with potential candidates, the Hammers gave Lopetegui one last chance.
In the meantime Graham Potter agreed to step in at West Ham until the end of the season if the Spaniard is shown the door.
Potter, who is close friends with the husband of West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady, has since reportedly turned down two job offers from elsewhere.
Meanwhile Lopetegui’s side were extremely fortunate to beat Wolves in the must-win game that followed.
They have since drawn with Bournemouth and now Brighton 1-1.
But it has done little for West Ham’s league position or prospects for the rest of the season.
Brighton missed a host of chances to wrap this one up and Aaron Wan-Bissaka saved the Hammers right on the final whistle with a goal-saving header too.
Boring Hammers jeered off again
Supporters are finding Lopetegui’s team a really hard watch this season.
That continued against the Seagulls as West Ham’s identity crisis continues.
Brighton meanwhile are the complete opposite despite also hiring a new manager in the summer.
West Ham are now seven points off the top six with hopes of a European spot fast fading out of sight.
Lopetegui deserves credit for the honourable way he has put West Ham first after the death of his father.
But many fans feel this cannot go on.
Hammers fans should be excited about watching their team under a new manager with nine new signings.
Instead they are boring and the style of play – particularly in the second half against Brighton – is not too far removed from what we saw under David Moyes.
So where do the Hammers go from here?
Potter on standby for West Ham but he won’t wait forever
Potter is on standby for West Ham but he won’t wait forever and this isn’t working.
Before Wolves a top Hammers insider declared Lopetegui had been told he must win each of the next four games to save his job.
That required victories over Wolves, Bournemouth, Brighton and Southampton.
Instead of an expected nine points, West Ham have just five – and they’re lucky to have that too.
It could and probably should have been just two points from those games with the way they panned out.
By failing to act after Leicester, West Ham’s owners have placed the club into a strange purgatory.
Most agree the Lopetegui experiment isn’t working.
Other managers who have come in at clubs at the same time – like Fabian Hürzeler – have their teams playing with a clear philosophy and identity.
West Ham are distinctly average at best.
Many feel change is needed or the club risks wasting an entire season.
But Potter won’t wait forever.
Lopetegui simply not getting a tune out of exciting group
How long do West Ham’s owners give it until they decide enough is enough.
Five wins from 17 games is simply not good enough given West Ham’s expectations and transfer activity.
A job will present itself to Potter soon which will tempt him.
He won’t sit on standby for the rest of the season waiting for the Hammers to make their minds up.
Would the former Chelsea boss really do any worse?
Players looked completely dumbfounded by some of Lopetegui’s tactical changes throughout the Brighton game.
West Ham massively got away with one – yet again.
So does that mean Lopetegui deserves to stay in the job?
Southampton must be final chance for Lopetegui
Sacking the manager after what he has been through this week is probably not morally acceptable.
But failure to beat dreadful Southampton on Boxing Day and surely Lopetegui’s time will be up.
Even then – as was the case with the victory over Wolves – what would an isolated win against one of the worst teams in Premier League history prove?
Potter may wait another week or two – but he won’t wait forever.
And it’s becoming increasingly and irrefutably clear that West Ham just aren’t working under Lopetegui.
If West Ham continue to ignore that then they will have some job filling the London Stadium for the rest of the season as it quickly emptied before the final whistle yet again.
The Hammers are a boring watch and they shouldn’t be with the talent Lopetegui has available to him.
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