Jamie O’Hara pleaded with a West Ham United fan to be patient with Julen Lopetegui after the 1-1 draw against Brentford on 28 September.
The Hammers conceded within the first minute at the GTECH Community Stadium through Bryan Mbuembo but Tomas Souceck salvaged a point for the visitors with his second-half goal.
O’Hara discussed the result alongside co-host Jason Cundy live on talkSPORT [28 September, 6:24pm] and offered his verdict on Lopetegui in response to a caller.
He said: “So you’ve got a new manager come in, Lopetegui, he’s trying to change the dynamic of the team, he’s trying to change the way you play. It’s very easy for these players to go back to the old way of playing because that’s their safety net.
“So they’re trying to play a new style, but you’ve also got new players as well you’re trying to bed into the side, so it takes time to get something to click. So, yes, it ain’t been good at the moment but you have to give it time.
And as much as you think you know, [with] David Moyes we had it right and we were getting to latter stages of Europe and stuff, well – you didn’t like the football.
“So Lopetegui’s come in and it’s one of them, you’re just going to have to roll with it for a bit and see what happens.”
Julen Lopetegui is running out of time at West Ham United
The Irons got off to the worst possible start on Saturday and spent the remaining 89 minutes chasing the game.
Brentford at the GTECH is no easy task for any Premier League side and while the pressure will continue to mount on Lopetegui after another winless outing, a share of the spoils is better than most get in West London.
The Spaniard’s tactics will be at the forefront of discussion once again as Mohammed Kudus was removed at half-time as the Hammers looked for more balance in the midfield.
While most new managers are afforded time to settle into the job, the frivolous spending spree of Tim Steidten over the summer has brought demands of immediate success in East London with a European finish as the objective for the season.
Whether it was a point gained or two points lost is for Lopetegui to decide, but based on performance alone, it was hardly the worst West Ham have produced this season and there are some positives to take back to the London Stadium.
The time for excuses is over, the players have had plenty of time to adapt to Lopetegui’s tactics and, now the Hammers must translate performances into results before things well and truly spiral out of control in East London.
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