If this was Julen Lopetegui coming out fighting then it is little wonder West Ham find themselves struggling so badly.
The world and its wife now know Julen Lopetegui has one game to save his job at West Ham.
After two previous warnings of a similar nature, this time the owners mean it.
Failure to beat his old club Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night will see Lopetegui sacked 15 Premier League games into his disastrous tenure.
Even if the Spaniard wins the match, he will reportedly have to follow it up with another three victories on the bounce to survive.
With West Ham facing high-flying Bournemouth and Brighton after Wolves, it looks every inch a stay of execution.
West Ham’s hardcore away fans turned on the 58-year-old at Leicester.
That was supposed to be a “must win” or at least a “must not lose” for the manager.
But after a 3-1 defeat, the Hammers board has decided to give Lopetegui at least one more game.
Reports abound, from some very reputable sources, that is simply to buy some time while a potential replacement is lined up.
‘Thank you and I’m sorry’ beaten Lopetegui tells West Ham fans
The truth is West Ham’s fans are not just angry with Lopetegui.
Technical director Tim Steidten – hailed a hero for his transfer dealings in the summer – is becoming something of a villain among some supporters.
The heat is being turned up on majority owner David Sullivan too.
West Ham’s expensively assembled team of players are escaping the same harsh criticism for now.
But they need to realise just how toxic things will turn unless they start bucking their ideas up.
The reason the players have escaped major criticism thus far is because most supporters blame the shambolic performances on the manager’s team selection and tactics.
A plethora of managers have been linked with Lopetegui’s job this week.
As he faced the media in pre-match press conference, perhaps for the last time as Hammers boss, Lopetegui valiantly tried to protect his players from criticism.
He insisted he should bear the brunt of it as the head coach.
Lopetegui also said he understood the relentless line of questioning about the fact he has one game to save his job.
It was painful to watch, though.
‘Thank you and I’m sorry’ were the words of a beaten looking Lopetegui as he appears to accept his West Ham fate.
If you didn’t know any better watching this presser, it felt like a goodbye of sorts from the manager.
Hammers boss appears to accept West Ham fate
He arrived in east London looking fresh faced after a year off following his Wolves walkout.
Less than six months into competitive action he looks every day of his 58 years – and then some.
Wearing a pained expression, Lopetegui looks a beaten man.
The Hammers boss looks like he knows what is coming, whether that’s on Monday night, Tuesday morning or in two weeks’ time.
We all know the stories that have being doing the rounds about his latest bust-up with a star player.
Apparently word is there’s plenty more where that came from.
Lopetegui was asked about his fall out with Jean-Clair Todibo – who apparently had to be pulled off the boss by Jarrod Bowen.
He awkwardly said it was ‘nothing important’.
But most telling was Lopetegui’s message to fans towards the end of the conference.
The former Real Madrid and Spain boss was asked ‘where has it gone wrong’ and whether he wanted to send a message to the fans.
Lopetegui: The fans are always right
It all felt very final regardless of his claims that the team will start to improve.
Hammers supporters chanted ‘you’re getting sacked in the morning’ at the King Power.
He wasn’t of course, but it seems he – like everyone else in the room – knows it’s coming.
The old football adage that once the away fans turn, there’s no coming back is rarely wrong.
Lopetegui insisted whatever the supporters feel about him is correct because ‘the fans are always right’.
“First, thank you for your support, always…” Lopetegui said in his pre-Wolves presser.
“I repeat the fans are always right.
“For the fans the only thing I can say is ‘thank you’ and sometimes ‘sorry’ because we work for them.
“(We work) for the club for sure and for us, but for them (the fans) to be able to achieve happy days for them…
“We respect a lot the fans, they are always right.”
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