Only at West Ham would fans start calling for the manager to be sacked just five games into his job.
That’s what some corners of the fanbase have been calling for since Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat to Chelsea.
Admittedly, we’ve been incredibly spoilt for success for much of the last four years under David Moyes, especially in his first two and half years in charge. It turned ugly and toxic towards the end after the Scot oversaw only a couple of league wins after the turn of the year, which led to the club finishing ninth and not in the top six.
Despite how his reign ended and the form in which the team were in when he left, Moyes’ most loyal supporters have begun pining for him to return already.
That’s the case on the We Are West Ham Podcast this week, with co-host Will Pugh opening the show by signing “we want J-Lo out!’ and then spending the entire podcast complaining that losing to Aston Villa, Man City and Chelsea just isn’t good enough.
Meanwhile, his co-host, James Jones, was passionately defending the new manager and showing a bit more understanding and acceptance of the transitional period the club finds itself in.
Jones explains that while he’s very aware there are issues Julen Lopetegui needs to fix, he doesn’t believe for one second it’s time to start getting annoyed with the manager, especially when you consider the teams West Ham have lost to.
And that’s the thing. The level of negativity surrounding the club from some corners of the fanbase seems absurd given the only three teams Lopetegui has lost to so far are two of the so-called ‘big six’ and a team that finished in the top four last season.
The way some fans have been speaking over the last few days, it’s like expected West Ham to win every single game, including against Man City. And Jones has called those fans out this week.
Speaking on the We Are West Ham Podcast this week, Jones said: “We should be used to this, especially when you consider that those three defeats have come against Champions League Aston Villa, the best team on the planet in Manchester City and a team that’s just spent £1.5bn on players over the last three years in Chelsea.
“So, let’s put it right, it’s not as if we’ve just lost to Southampton, Leicester and Ipswich in a row, is it?
“I’m just slightly baffled at the whole discourse around Lopetegui and a defeat to Chelsea if I’m honest. The geezer’s managed five Premier League games for crying out loud.
“It just makes the club even more of a laughing stock!
“I acknowledge that it’s not perfect and there are issues that need to be ironed out but there are so many reasons why it’s way too early to be even remotely upset about the fact that Lopetegui is in charge and David Moyes isn’t.
“It’s mental, absolutely mental!”
