David Sullivan, Tim Steidten called out over pathetic West Ham United decision
Tony Cottee has slammed David Sullivan and Tim Steidten over the decision to appoint Julen Lopetegui as West Ham United manager.
The Irons have endured a dismal campaign under the Spaniard and look destined for mid-table mediocrity in the Premier League this season.
Monday (6 January) saw reports that Lopetegui had been sacked [talkSPORT], but no official announcement was made by the club with the 58-year-old set to take charge of the FA Cup clash with Aston Villa as it stands.
Cottee, speaking live on talkSPORT [6 January, 3:50 pm], slammed the decision to appoint the Spaniard in the first place with Sullivan and Steidten facing the brunt of the frustration.
“They can hang their heads in shame, Tim Steidten and David Sullivan, because it’s just a pathetic appointment they should never have done it in the first place,” said Cottee.
“I just can’t believe what they do sometimes. West Ham’s my club and I care passionately about them. It was just so the wrong appointment and, yes, you can blame Lopetegui, he’s been poor, he’s made bad decisions and tactically he’s been all over the place.
“But Steidten’s the Director of Football, Sullivan’s in charge of the football side of things. They’ve got to take responsibility, they can’t keep making these stupid mistakes.
“If you’re going to change the manager and get rid of what was one of the most successful managers in West Ham’s history in terms of winning the trophy, you’ve got to make the right appointment.”
Julen Lopetegui was not the right appointment for West Ham
Ultimately, Moyes lost his job because of the style of football and the sudden downturn in results, although a lack of recruitment can certainly be used as a factor behind both of them.
They opted to make a change and hired Lopetegui, who largely adopted a similar style of play but which was even less effective as showcased by the performances and results so far this season.
That was the first mistake. The second is the fact that they still haven’t realised their error by January and opted to make a change. It’s ludicrous.
Fortunately for Hammers supporters, it seems like a change is edging closer with Graham Potter reported to be in line for the job [Sean Whetstone] and that change has been needed for months now.
If Potter is in fact to become the next manager, the progression of West Ham can continue once again and something can still be made of the current season which, as it stands, is whimpering away.
In other West Ham news, this player could be set for an exit from the London Stadium with a move to a giant of the Serie A rumoured.
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