Stuart Pearce drops new Julen Lopetegui sack verdict in West Ham United message
West Ham should wait until the end of the season before making a decision on Julen Lopetegui’s future, Stuart Pearce has said.
Speaking on talkSPORT (18 November, 8:50am), Pearce said that amid a summer of change both on and off the field at the London Stadium, Lopetegui should be given more time to turn things around.
Lopetegui has picked up just three wins in his first 11 Premier League matches with the Hammers, whose poor results and style of play have led to increasing calls for the Spaniard to be sacked [GiveMeSport, 12 November].
Pearce said: “They made a big call in the summer, the board – in regard to not re-negotiating with David Moyes, so they’ve made that judgment call.
“They’ve identified Lopetegui to come in and replace him – what are we on at the moment, 11 games? It’s too soon.
“There’s been massive changes at West Ham – not just the coaching staff but behind the scenes as well, all manner of things have changed.
“I think you’ve got to be a bit more patient at West Ham, I really do – the club have got to sit tight, at least until I think the (end of the) season personally, and see how it develops.”
Julen Lopetegui facing a ticking clock at West Ham United
While Pearce is hopeful the Hammers will retain faith in Lopetegui until the end of the season, he knows full well that in the cut-throat business of the Premier League, things are rarely so simple.
Football at this level is first and foremost a results business, and while the club’s hierarchy are sticking by their summer appointment for now [David Ornstein, 11 November], the threat of the sack looms large.
Fans and other pundits would be much more inclined to vouch for Lopetegui’s job if the Irons were showing signs of improvement under the Spaniard, but there’s yet to be any tangible evidence of this.
It’s not just Lopetegui who has come under fire following the club’s slow start to the season, with the composition and quality of their new-look squad seeing Tim Steidten’s role also called into question.
It remains to be seen just how long the club stick by Lopetegui with the campaign’s busiest period approaching, but if results don’t improve, Pearce’s wish certainly doesn’t look like coming true.
In other West Ham news, one Irons star made an instant impact to rubber-stamp his international spot with a new coach incoming.
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