West Ham United

James Jones
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It is little wonder Saturday's defeat to Tottenham was met with further calls for the club to part ways with Julen Lopetegui after just 10 games in all competitions. Many insist it just will not get any better under the Spaniard and claim to have seen enough to warrant another change of manager.

But my question to those fans is this: If the club sacks him after three wins in 10 games, how long does the next manager get before you start calling for him to go?

What happens if he also delivers three wins from his first 10 games? How many managers do we need to go through before we accept 10 games is not nearly enough time to make a definitive judgment on the manager's ability to succeed?

Here is what most fans are forgetting - when David Moyes returned to the club for his second spell, he oversaw just two wins in his first 10 games in all competitions. That's one fewer than Lopetegui.

In that time, we lost to Sheffield United, Leicester City and West Brom in the FA Cup. We went from 16th in the Premier League table to 18th. Where we would be and what would we have missed out on had we sacked Moyes after those 10 games? It does not bear thinking about, yet the stakes were a lot higher then than they are now. Still, Moyes was given more time to get things working, and boy did he do that!

So that's why I am calling for more patience with Lopetegui. He has only lost to teams who finished in last season's top six and has had just one window to overhaul an old, thin squad and completely change the style of play. It needs much more than 10 games for that to work.

Yes, it has been frustrating up to this point and there are lots of issues that need addressing, but a change in manager does not necessarily fix those issues. All it does is take us back to where we started, from scratch once again. I am not saying Lopetegui is a guarantee but it would be absurd to sack him now.

A lack of patience in the short term to get things working only serves to appease those who expect success immediately, without compromise. Sometimes you have take one step back to take two steps forward.

That's where we are right now.

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

Julen Lopetegui is not in imminent danger of being sacked as West Ham manager despite the club's poor start to the season. (Guardian), external

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

Football is full of highs.

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And lows.

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Controversy takes hold.

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Moments of madness do too.

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Players become unexpected heroes.

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Some never change.

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There's pain.

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Joy too.

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And, given this ebb and flow of emotion, every so often, even the coolest heads boil over.

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

Here are some of your comments:

Spurs fans

Chris: This was more like the Spurs we want and expect. After all the attacking pressure in the first half, getting the equaliser was really important. Then the start of the second half was amazing and probably should have seen more Spurs goals.

Silvia: Loved the game! Almost a throwback to old derbies we used to get. I felt we were always in the game, even when we went a goal down. We've got a bit of swagger about us at the moment. I know people will say it's only West Ham, but a London derby is always a potential upset. Proud Spurs fan.

Simon: Against Brighton, Ange Postecoglou was way too slow to respond to Brighton's tactical change in the second half. There's always been a worry that Ange, much as we love him, is a bit of a one-trick pony. Against West Ham, he showed he can analyse a game and make the right tactical call when needed.

West Ham fans

Ken: This really was one of the worst team performances I've seen from a Hammers side. It's as though the manager can't get his ideas over to the team, or they either don't understand what he wants or can't bother to perform for him. Truly dreadful in the second half.

Grant: He has to drop Alphonse Areola. A poor keeper who uses his feet when he should use his hands and has very poor distribution. We have good individuals but we are not playing as a team. Ange schooled Julen Lopetegui today with his tactics and team set-up. Big improvements needed or this will be a season where we are battling relegation instead of fighting for Europe.

Gerald: Lively from the start. It was always going to be tough to defend against a side like Tottenham. As soon as they scored, they played deeper and deeper. It needed a change at half-time as the shape looked off and heads dropped quickly and we conceded a rout. The game was over in the space of 10 minutes. Another poor result while playing a passing style.

Gary Lineker brings highlights and analysis from Saturday's Seven Premier League fixtures.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Man Utd 2-1 Brentford

• Bournemouth 2-0 Arsenal

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui has apologised to supporters for the club's poor start to the season but remains confident "better moments" are coming.

The Hammers have eight points from their first seven matches after the heavy 4-1 defeat to Tottenham on Saturday afternoon.

Asked why his team collapsed over eight second half minutes, Lopetegui said: "We have to be aware that this is not enough. Despite the fact we are playing one of the best teams in the attacking phase, we can do better in the defensive phase. We were working for this.

"It is true that this week is different with the international break but it is not an excuse - we have to do better with the kind of team they have in front and how they want to attack so maybe I have to improve in my translation [of ideas] too."

He added: "We are sure we are going to have better moments. The Premier League is very long for all the teams. We knew that we have a hard start but in the same way we are able to improve, win matches and I am sure we will do this.

"Then at the end of the season is when we will see where we will be. Today we are very frustrated and also sorry to them above all but we are going to work hard for our next challenge."

Star attacker Mohammed Kudus opened the scoring in the first half but was sent off after at least two red card offences and will face at least a three-match ban for violent conduct.

Lopetegui hadn't seen the incident or spoken to Kudus but said: "For sure, he is going to be aware that he can improve in this moment because this is not good for him, the club and the team."

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West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui spoke to BBC Match of the Day after West Ham's defeat to Tottenham: "First of all we are very disappointed for our fans. The summary is that they [Tottenham] deserved to win to be fair. We started well and we deserved to take the lead despite their two big chances. We defended well, attacked well and had more chances too

"In the second half we conceded the second goal in an action where we had many players in the box. We have to defend better in that moment as they are a team that make a lot of internal runs, which we knew, and we have to avoid that.

"After that was the bad moment in the match. It is normal that you can concede the second goal but then you cannot dismiss ten minutes, we lost all of our possibility to stay in the game and be competitive."

Biggest concern? "The first is that we lost three points. The second is that we lost a derby and for that we are very sorry for our fans. The third is that if we want to be competitive in the Premier League we need to improve and we need to approach the bad moments with the right mentality."

On challenges at the club: "To overcome the situation and to become a better team and be able to win more matches. it is going to be a hard week for sure because we are frustrated today. But we have to look forward and be ready for the next match against Man Utd.

On the Kudus red card: "I did not see the action back on tv but I think that if the referee reviewed it and decided that it was a red card then I cannot have a doubt. Maybe it is another point to improve, when we suffer in the bad moments we keep calm and fight to the end as a team."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

What did you make of Tottenham’s display?, external

Have your say on West Ham's performance, external

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

There are seven matches that make up Saturday's Premier League action:

• Tottenham v West Ham - 12:30

• Fulham v Aston Villa

• Ipswich v Everton

• Manchester United v Brentford (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

• Newcastle v Brighton

• Southampton v Leicester

• Bournemouth v Arsenal - 17:30 (listen on BBC Radio 5 Live)

Kick-off 15:00 BST unless stated

Follow all of the action and reaction here

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

For week eight, he takes on legendary boxing manager Kellie Maloney.

Sutton's prediction: 3-1

West Ham got the win they needed against Ipswich before the international break, but it was a very different story for Tottenham against Brighton.

It is typical, really, because everyone had been singing Ange Postecoglou’s praises following Spurs’ win at Manchester United the previous week, talking about how he had built a team with an identity... but then they fell apart in the second half against the Seagulls.

I don’t think Spurs’ defeat was down to his style of football, though. It was because of shocking defending, and the way they lost duels all over the pitch.

I am expecting them to bounce back here, helped by the fact that Son Heung-min is in contention after a few weeks out.

I’ve been saying it for a while now, but Tottenham are going to give someone an absolute hiding sooner or later. I don’t think it will happen against the Hammers, but I do think they will win this one easily enough.

Kellie's prediction: Tottenham will be too strong. 3-1

Read the rest of their predictions, and have your own say here

Image source, Opta

With the October international break now firmly in the rearview mirror, Opta Analyst, external have turned their attention to the next four Premier League fixtures.

Here, they have given each team a ranking between 80 and 100 and then found the average to determine to difficulty of the schedule.

Liverpool's opening seven matches were ranked the easiest in the league, but their upcoming four are the fourth-toughest in the division. They will face Chelsea, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Brighton, with an average opponent strength of 91.4 before the next international break.

Fellow early pacesetters Arsenal also have challenging fixtures, playing Bournemouth, Liverpool, Newcastle and Chelsea with an average rating of 90.7, while Manchester City's next four against Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth and Brighton are ranked the third-easiest by Opta.

Chelsea and Brighton have the second-hardest and third-hardest runs respectively, a real test given the promising starts for their new managers Enzo Maresca and Fabian Hurzeler.

At the other end of the table, Leicester - who recently secured their first win of the season against Bournemouth - have a chance to build with the easiest run in the division. They face Southampton, Nottingham Forest, Ipswich and Manchester United.

Fellow promoted side Ipswich will hope to pick up their first win of the season during a run of games that is ranked the fifth-easiest.

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Julen Lopetegui has already put West Ham's win over Ipswich Town in the "past" as his side prepare to face Tottenham on Saturday.

The Hammers secured their second win of the season by beating the Tractor Boys 4-1 at London Stadium before the international break.

The three points took them up to 12th in the table, easing the pressure on Lopetegui, who has struggled for results in the early days of his West Ham tenure.

"These matches are the past for us," the Hammers boss said in his pre-match news conference. "Now the present is the more important thing and to be ready for the next challenge.

"We were happy to have the victory, but now we are focused 100% on the next challenge, which will be a very hard challenge against, in my opinion, one of the best teams in the Premier League."

A heavy defeat by London rivals Chelsea followed by a 5-1 loss to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup had led to unrest among some supporters.

Lopetegui acknowledged the expectations of the fans and accepted his team must show togetherness to beat Spurs at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

"Our fans will always demand the best from us and this is a good thing for us," he added.

"In the same way they support us always, and we have to be ready to play football, to defend and attack well, to be a strong and solid team. To be able to beat them there is not going to be easy, but this is our aim - always."

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Earlier, we asked you to identify the former West Ham player from their Premier League statistics playing for the club.

The correct answer was Manuel Lanzini.

Guess the former West Ham player from their Premier League statistics at the club:

• Years at club: 2015-2023

• National team: Argentina

• Position: Midfielder

• Appearances: 179

• Goals: 27

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 BST

Do you know who's the fastest Hammer this season?

It is not Jarrod Bowen...

Find out here

Henry Brownsey
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Tottenham (kick-off 12:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Lopetegui is uncertain about the availability of his squad after the international break: "We had a lot of players in different countries - we don't have everyone here yet. The last players will be back today and tomorrow. Until the last moment we are not going to be together, which is always difficult to prepare for matches."

• Striker Niclas Fullkrug is the only injury doubt he knows about West Ham originally hoped Fullkrug would be out for only two weeks but he hasn't played for the club since August.

• Lopetegui is hopeful the Germany striker "is going to be ready for the next few matches" but right now "he is out".

• On what has pleased him the most about his West Ham side: "The best thing is the commitment of the players. They work hard and know that to achieve good feelings we have to work very hard every day. Some days you want leadership on the pitch and sometimes it appears naturally - we are trying to encourage this from them."

• He is steeled for a test at Tottenham: "They are one of the best teams in the Premier League - I like them a lot. I think they have big, big intensity and very good players and ideas. We have to be ready because it's an important match."

• On Ange Postecoglou: "He's changed a lot of things [at Spurs]. They have very good players and work well as a team. We have to put the focus in us and be ready to have an answer. We need to be close to perfection to compete."

• Finally, Lopetegui was asked about the standard of English head coaches and why the FA decided to appoint German manager Thomas Tuchel as England boss: "I think the level is very good. It is not my job to choose one [but] English coaches are definitely ready to manage the national team - Gareth [Southgate] did very well in my opinion."

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

BBC Sport pundit Fara Williams will be answering your questions, giving her insight and opinion around your club.

So what would you like to ask the former England midfielder?

What can your team achieve after their start to the season? Who has been your best player so far? What does the manager's future hold?

Send in your questions here, external

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We asked you to tell us one thing - good or bad - that no-one is talking about at West Ham.

Here are some of your comments:

Graham: As good a player as Jarrod Bowen is, I would still like to see more strong leadership on the pitch as a captain of this great club. Ideally, that should come from a position that can see the majority of the play ahead of them, such as a central defender or defensive midfielder.

Chris: While everyone is talking about our attack and how to get the best out of our array of options, including Bowen, Kudus, Paqueta and Summerville, it is all a bit quiet about the defence. It was totally overhauled in the summer, but with little effect. We have conceded 11 goals in the league already, meaning we are on track for 60 goals this season. It's not a wholehearted success...

David: We need a new goalkeeper to fit the style Julen Lopetegui is implementing. Areola has been good for us, along with Fabianski, but I can't see it working after watching Areola's distribution last time out. He made me nervous, let alone those playing alongside him. It is certainly something we need to look at in the summer - at the latest.

Joe: Nobody is talking about the fact that if Paqueta gets suspended, it could actually make us a better team.

Frazer: No-one is talking about taking David Moyes back, but I'm not sure that people are convinced by Lopetegui just yet. After the first four or five games it was stirring in the crowd, but the Ipswich result has quelled the murmurings for a while.

West Ham United have opened talks over a new deal for 18-year-old English goalkeeper Fin Herrick. (Football Insider), external

Want more news? Read Friday's full gossip column