West Ham have responded in ominous fashion as calls for Julen Lopetegui to be sacked grow ever louder after the drab 0-0 draw with Everton.
Hammers News brings you an exclusive update from the highest level inside the club.
Julen Lopetegui was already clinging to his job by his fingernails at West Ham.
That’s according to a number of well-connected journalists before the Hammers faced Everton.
It was claimed Lopetegui needed to beat Everton to keep his job.
One top West Ham reporter even stated the Hammers needed to ‘win convincingly’ to save the Spaniard.
But the Irons were far from convincing as they played out a torturous 0-0 draw with Everton.
In fact all the game served to do was convince many fans they’ve seen enough.
And if the performance levels from most West Ham players are anything to go by, they’re not too fussed about saving their manager.
The 57-year-old has now had a third of a season all told to show something at West Ham.
But Lopetegui’s side look like a collection of strangers with no clear identity or patterns of play.
West Ham could end the weekend 15th in the Premier League and just five points off the bottom three.
Just as worrying, though, given pre-season aims and expectations, the Hammers will be miles off the European spots.
Apathy and boredom has replaced the buzz and excitement that surrounded West Ham’s summer window business.
After the painful watch in the 0-0 draw against the Toffees, the pressure has ratcheted up another notch on Lopetegui.
Calls grow louder for West Ham to sack Lopetegui
Six managers have been linked with the Hammers hotseat in the last week.
Graham Potter, Edin Terzic, Sebastian Hoeness, Sergio Conceicao, Kasper Hjulmand and Roger Schmidt have all been named on an alleged shortlist of replacements.
Among those Potter and Terzic are said to be open to an approach from the Hammers.
The fact Everton was billed as a “must-win” for Lopetegui means his future will come under even more scrutiny.
Particularly with a two-week international break.
So what’s the word from the owners, who will ultimately decide Lopetegui’s future at West Ham one way or another?
Now Hammers News can exclusively bring you a 16-word response from West Ham on the Lopetegui situation as sack calls grow louder.
And it sounds very ominous indeed for the head coach.
It was put to the top spokesman for the owners that fans are not happy at all with what they’re seeing.
Not that it necessarily needed to be highlighted given the loudest noise at the London Stadium was the team being booed off at half-time and the final whistle.
The owners were made aware that an increasing number of fans are now calling for the manager’s head.
It was pointed out that supporters feel bereft of any hope or excitement and have no idea how Lopetegui is trying to make the team play.
West Ham’s hierarchy were also asked whether there is any change of stance on the situation after Lopetegui received their backing in the wake of the 3-0 defeat to Forest.
It’s safe to say, the owners are far from impressed.
West Ham’s ominous 16-word response on Lopetegui situation
And they’re not fooled by another slightly improved second half performance.
The daunting fixtures on the horizon – with Newcastle and Arsenal up next – were also rather tellingly highlighted.
“Tough games coming up,” a spokesman for the owners exclusively told Hammers News.
“We were better in second half.
“But it’s still NOT good enough.”
The capital letters for emphasis speaks volumes too here.
Lopetegui is surely in a world of trouble now as it seems boardroom backing is waning too.
Who can blame the owners either?
In an era where revenue and interest is more important than ever due to PSR, they have watched fans leave matches en masse long before the final whistle in six of Lopetegui’s 13 games in charge.
Apathy and boredom rings alarm bells in West Ham boardroom
How long before many fans save themselves some money and stop turning up altogether?
The manager’s cause will also not be helped by more clear unrest amongst West Ham’s players during the draw with Everton.
In terms of going on a charm offensive, Lopetegui isn’t doing himself any favours either.
He is leaving fans and the media bored stiff in press conferences, prompting questions about how players must feel working under him.
Lopetegui also rather unwisely kept the press pack waiting until the last possible moment before doing his media duties after the draw with Everton.
And it did not go down well according to some of the reporters at the game, including talkSPORT’s Alex Crook.
Perhaps for the first time in terms of the owners’ view, it feels as though the writing may be on the wall for Lopetegui now.
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