West Ham United

James Jones
Fan writer

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That was a huge result, one that we so desperately needed.

Beating Wolves surely means Julen Lopetegui keeps his job for a little longer. It is a stay of execution for the Spaniard, but for how long?

While three points are three points, it was not a convincing performance to suggest a corner has been turned by this West Ham team. The players do look a lot more sure of themselves tactically than they did a month ago, but my fear is all this win does is kick the can down the road.

We had our moments, especially in the first half, but for the second game running we appeared to run out of ideas the moment we entered the final third. Loads of shots, loads of corners, but not much in the way of confidence or conviction in front of goal.

Meanwhile, Wolves regularly found themselves with loads of space on the counter-attack. Had their finishing been better, it would have been a very different story at London Stadium.

And Wolves have every right to be angry not to have been awarded at least one penalty by VAR. In truth, they should have had two.

But despite now having a nice nine-point gap from the bottom three, I am still not convinced we have got it in us to put together a run of results that would take us out of conversations involving relegation and into conversations surrounding a top-half finish.

There are too many aspects of our play that still aren't perfect - and better teams would have punished us at key moments in Monday's game.

But we have to be delighted with this win and can now look forward to travelling to Bournemouth next week.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

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We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League game between West Ham and Wolves.

Here are some of your comments:

Mark: Simply awful from West Ham. One set of fans went away happy and it wasn't Hammers supporters, despite picking up three points. The football was dreadful. If Wolves had been better, we would have been beaten. Julen Lopetegui lives to fight again for a few more games.

Brendan: A fortunate and unconvincing three points. There are two clear problems at West Ham: communication and confidence. If Lopetegui can crack the first one, he will boost the second. If not, they are doomed to mediocrity.

Rob: We did OK, but we were playing a struggling Wolves side. You can see the quality of the players, but there is no unity and no obvious plan. The win has probably bought Lopetegui time, but things are not going to improve with him and his slow brand of football at the helm.

Stephen: A win is a win. You could say we got away with a couple of penalty appeals, but Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville were outstanding. Now let's push on and start to get some more positive results. COYI.

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West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui, speaking to Sky Sports: "We are happy for our fans. We dedicate the victory to Michail Antonio.

"We deserved the three points. It's much more than football. We were able to compete well and fight until the end. Wolves drew in the only action they had in the second half. We had very clear chances. But the most important thing is that we won.

"The fans have supported us a lot through the bad times. I am happy for them.

"We were strong with our mentality. We stayed in the game and took advantage. It's a fantastic goal from our captain, Jarrod Bowen. He is a fantastic player and a fantastic professional. It wasn't an easy week, believe me."

On his position after win: "I don't talk about noise, I talk about football. If you ask me about football, I will. A win is always good for me."

Did you know?

• Bowen has scored six Premier League goals against Wolves - only Carlton Cole, with seven against Fulham, has scored more for West Ham against one team in the competition.

Graham Potter is willing to take the West Ham job, initially until the end of the season, if the Hammers sack Julen Lopetegui. (Talksport), external

West Ham will step up their interest in 20-year-old Brighton and Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson when the January transfer window opens. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer news? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on West Ham’s performance

What did you make of Wolves’ display?

Come back to this page on Tuesday to find a selection of your replies

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League games this season, against a variety of guests.

For week 15 he takes on Dougie Payne, bassist with rock band Travis.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

This might end badly for Gary O'Neil and Wolves and, while we are not seeing the West Ham we expected from Lopetegui, he may live to fight another day.

The last time Wolves went to London, at the end of November, they beat Fulham 4-1 and enjoyed themselves.

I can't see the same happening here though, because of the number of goals they are conceding. The way they play under O'Neil, they are so open.

West Ham are going to get some chances and although they missed a few against Leicester, I am backing them to take them this time.

Payne's prediction: 1-2

This is like the 'sacked in the morning' derby, isn't it?! West Ham have not been good, or good to watch either. Even the highlights on Match of the Day have left me thinking: 'Oh, this is a bit turgid.'

With Wolves, I feel like they should be doing a lot better. They play some good stuff and Matheus Cunha has been great up front, but they can't stop conceding. I still have a feeling they will get something out of this, though.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

West Ham United considered Massimiliano Allegri as a successor to current boss Julen Lopetegui, but the cost involved made it a probable non-starter. (Football Insider), external

Want more news? Read Monday's full gossip column

A 3-1 defeat by Leicester last time out has left question marks over Julen Lopetegui's West Ham future, while Gary O'Neil's struggles with Wolves continue and he too finds his position potentially hanging in the balance.

With three vital points on the line, it sets up for an intense battle at London stadium on Monday night.

While the two sides go head to head on the pitch, we asked our fan writers for each club to go head to head off it.

Each got to ask three questions of the other. Hammers fan Holly Turbutt from West Ham Network, external was asked the following by our Wolves supporter:

• Both managers come into this under a bit of pressure. What has gone wrong so far for Lopetegui and do you think he can turn it around?

• Former Wolves captain Max Kilman moved to West Ham this summer. How has he been getting on for you so far?

• Which West Ham players have stood out so far?

Wolves fan contributor Dave Azzopardi from Talking Wolves, external was given the following questions:

• With both Wolves and West Ham having difficult starts to the season, are you feeling confident that you can get something out of this game and why?

• What would West Ham need to do to stop Cunha scoring?

• Which Wolves weaknesses might West Ham be able to exploit?

Sarah Rendell
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to the media before Monday's Premier League game against Wolves (kick-off 8pm GMT).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Lopetegui was asked several questions about his job security and he answered all of them in a similar way: "I understand all the things around football and I understand that my main responsibility is to be ready to face a tough match. It's a big opportunity and challenge for us at home. To be ready to achieve the three points, that is the most important thing."

• On whether he would walk away from the club: "I have a big commitment in my work. I am very happy to stay at West Ham. We are going to change the situation. That is why we are working - to be ready for Monday."

• On his players: "The players have been fantastic. [Great] commitment. I don't have anything to say against my players. I accept all the responsibility and pressure. That is why I am the coach. My players have to enjoy their profession. They are demanding with themselves and to believe in them is the most important thing."

• On if he had a message for the West Ham fans: "The first is thank you for your support. The second is we are going to change this. I am sure they don't need any message to to know they are going to support their players. We need them and they are going to stay with us because the support and energy is always one step forward for all the players."

• On if there was a disagreement between himself and Jean Clair Todibo during the defeat by Arsenal: "The things that happen in the dressing room have to stay in the dressing room. Nothing important happened."

• On if the Wolves match is easier with home advantage: "We're talking about the Premier League. The next match you play is the most difficult match you play. That is the first rule. We have to respect our job and our opponent. We have to do our best, and to do that you have to understand the challenge."

• Despite Wolves' perilous position, Lopetegui respects the side he managed during the 2022-23 season: "They are a good team, with good players. We know the kind of players they have, and the kind of team we're going to face, but we have to focus on ourselves."

• On Max Kilman's first appearance against the team he captained last season: "Max is trying to face a big challenge for him. I think he's doing well - he's helping us, is a good professional and a good player. With all of us, we continue to be demanding, and we're all working hard to improve."

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

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West Ham have conceded 71 goals in 33 Premier League games so far in 2024. It is their most league goals conceded in a single calendar year since 1976 (73 in 38 games).

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Spanish football Journalist Guillem Balague spoke to BBC Radio 5 Live's Euro Leagues about Julen Lopetegui's future at West Ham: "West Ham played really well against Newcastle and Leicester, but they seem to lack the confidence. That's not impossible to correct. The reality is is that they are six points away from relegation and five points away from Spurs.

"It's not a winning side right now and many things are changing. You expect that when [Niklas] Fullkrug gets fitter and with [Mohammed] Kudus and [Edson] Alvarez playing better, the team will grow.

"I do see him tired, stressed and not being himself because the team has not clicked yet. But he is convinced that he can turn things around.

"He was the Spanish national team manager, Real Madrid manager and won the Europa League with Sevilla, but some people think he cannot be good enough for a team that finished ninth in the Premier League last season."

Listen to the full analysis on Lopetegui here

Former Chelsea and Brighton manager Graham Potter has been sounded out by both Wolves and West Ham. (Talksport), external

Former Borussia Dourtmund coach Edin Terzic will not become the new manager of West Ham if Julen Lopetegui is relieved of his position, but ex-Denmark boss Kasper Hjulmand is in contention. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Former West Ham player Tony Cottee sees Graham Potter as an ideal replacement should Julen Lopetegui leave the Hammers.

Speaking on an episode of BBC Sounds' Sacked In The Morning podcast, which airs next week, Cottee said: "I think the one that stands out at the moment who's free and not with a club would probably be Graham Potter.

"I think most of the West Ham fans would prefer a British manager. I'm not saying foreign managers aren't good. I just think for the type of club West Ham is, I think the British manager would probably be good along the lines of David Moyes, etc.

"He's not at a club at the moment, so I'm sure he should be high on the list. But knowing the West Ham board, they'll probably appoint someone I've absolutely never heard of and I'll be scratching my head again and going, oh, here we go.

"But they've got to be careful because time goes very quickly in the Premier League and the games are thick and fast and West Ham have got some tough games coming up over the next three to four weeks into the new year.

"If you're not careful, you get dragged into a relegation battle of some sort and it's very, very difficult to get out of it and it's important they stay above that.

"So I think, you know, if they're going to make the decision, make it quickly. But just try and get the right fella in to manage the club because you've got to keep above that relegation zone."

Listen to Sacked In The Morning episodes

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West Ham legend Tony Cottee says the club "hasn't kicked on" under Julen Lopetegui.

The Hammers are expected to decide on Lopetegui's future by the weekend.

Cottee shared his thoughts on an episode of BBC Sounds' Sacked In The Morning podcast, which airs next week: "I wasn't in favour of the appointment.

"I didn't think it was following on from David Moyes. I was a huge David Moyes fan. He'd done an incredible job at the club - won West Ham their first trophy in 43 years.

"Was the football free-flowing, attacking football? No, not really. But did West Ham win something? Yes, they did.

"They played in Europe three seasons running. I think it was always going to be difficult to replace David. Really, really difficult. I didn't think it was the right appointment, but that was only my own personal feelings. We are where we are now.

"I don't know why it takes 72 hours to conduct a board meeting. I think they've said within the next 72 hours.

"I mean, by the time you've done that, West Ham have got Wolves - Lopetegui's old club - on Monday night. So we'll have to wait and see.

"But the way the club's going at the moment, it just hasn't kicked on.

"David put in some really good foundations. You need to try and build on that, you know, and being in what is it, 14th position at the moment, was not where the club wanted to be, bearing in mind they'd made a change of manager."

Listen to Sacked In The Morning episodes