David Sullivan can pull off West Ham masterstroke amid Serio Conceicao update
It seems only a matter of time until Julen Lopetegui faces the sack at West Ham and Sergio Conceicao would be an excellent replacement.
A heavy 5-2 defeat to Arsenal ramped up the pressure on Lopetegui, who looked to have turned some kind of corner with the Irons’ 2-0 win at Newcastle United.
The loss wasn’t the biggest concern, the worrying lack of performance after a crucial victory was and it has been the tale under the stewardship of the Spaniard.
His sacking seems inevitable at this point and, when the hierarchy pulls the trigger, Conceicao should be first in line to take the role at the London Stadium after he was reported to have been a consideration for West Ham (The Guardian).
West Ham must look at Sergio Conceicao
Conceicao has made a name for himself with a remarkable managerial career in Portugal with FC Porto in which he won three league titles and aided them in reaching the latter stages of the Championship League more than once.
It seems rather unlikely he would achieve anything of a similar feat with the Hammers this season, but he could be the perfect man to get them headed in that direction in the near future.
Conceicao won an excellent 11 trophies during a near seven-year stay as Porto coach before he called time on his stay in June of this year.
He has a clear winning mentality that could completely transform the Irons.
Many will undermine the achievement with Porto given the size of the club in comparison to others, but their consistent level of performance is what should be enticing, while you also have to acknowledge the strength of the likes of Benfica and Sporting CP.
Porto were very consistent under his realm, with a PPG (points per game) of 2.29 across the 368 games he was in charge of. They lost just six times during his last season at the club and consistently showcased themselves as a hard team to beat.
His 4-2-3-1 style of play brought freedom to his players and a clear playing identity, something the Hammers have been stripped of under Lopetegui despite usually utilising the same formation.
If his record at Porto is deemed irrelevant given the difference in the jobs, his record during a short stint at FC Nantes is arguably just as impressive.
Albeit having been in charge for just 26 games, he accumulated a PPG of 1.69 with a side in similar circumstances to West Ham. FC Nantes weren’t the financial tractor of the league, nor were they expected to achieve anything but Conceicao was able to get them playing an attractive style of football while winning more points than they lost.
While it may be a hard comparison, his PPG record in France is better than any manager has achieved at West Ham since Sir Trevor Booking in 1948.
Simply put, the key to improvement at West Ham is a manager who can get his side playing with confidence and with a clear identity. Very few will meet the credentials showcased by Conceicao to do this.
David Sullivan must act now while he is available. In the long run he could get the Hammers competing in the Champions League.
In other West Ham news, Alan Pardew has slammed Lucas Paqueta as a “liability”.
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