Following West Ham’s disorganised and disappointing outing at Nottingham on Saturday, there are many opinions being voiced about his tenure at West Ham being short-lived. Most were happy to give him time – half a season seemed the consensus when he joined in the summer- but the deterioration in the performance, morale and discipline is accelerating the growth of negative opinion in, and around the fan base.
But it isn’t only amongst die-hard West Ham fans that opinions have shifted. Alex Barker (European expert at @theathletic) made his own opinion clear on his Twitter X account after the Nottingham Forest Match. ” Lopetegui can’t last. West Ham are woefully underperforming.”
He then posted the image of the forlorn figure of Jarrod Bowen – who it should be said was not passive in trying to rally the troops (main pic).
Barker then went on to make his own stance clear on where the club goes from here: “If I remember rightly, the club value language in their manager, so that means quite a lot of fun replacements are off the table. Feels like convincing Potter is the best shout”
With Claret and Hugh’s highly placed source within the club advising yesterday that ‘Everton is a must win game‘ – Lopetegui’s future sits on a knife edge.
Rumours are swirling that Edin Terzic may be in line to replace Julen Lopetegui as West Ham United’s head coach, according to sources like Fabrizio Romano. For many of us Hammers fans, this might initially feel like a welcome change, especially after an underwhelming start from Lopetegui.
However, a closer inspection of Terzic’s track record suggests that he may not offer anything different, particularly if one scratches below the surface to look at the reaction of Bundesliga fans.
Terzic, once an assistant under former Hammers boss Slaven Bilic, did lead Borussia Dortmund to the Champions League final—a decent enough achievement on paper and of course he won the German cup as Martin pointed out last night. But Dortmund fans have voiced serious concerns over his tactical approach and accused him of bottling not one but two league titles.
Much like David Moyes, Terzic has been criticised for a passive, defence-oriented tactics which don’t get the best out of his attacking players. He often relies on overloading the midfield without creating clear opportunities and in a frighteningly similar comparison to Lopetegui he is accused of possession for the sake of it without hurting the opposition.
Moreover, Dortmund’s talented young players—Youssoufa Moukoko, Gio Reyna, Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, and Karim Adeyemi—struggled to thrive under Terzic. This lack of player development is alarming considering the young academy talent waiting to break through.
Concerns were also raised about Terzic’s inability to challenge Bayern Munich in a season where they looked vulnerable, allowing Bayer Leverkusen to leapfrog instead. This missed opportunity seems unlikely to be quickly forgotten by Dortmund fans who remain highly critical of his time at the club.
In addition, Terzic reportedly lost the dressing room at Dortmund. High-profile players like our own Niclas Füllkrug, Julian Brandt, Gregor Kobel, and Mats Hummels openly questioned his tactics in interviews. Internal rows and excuses from the manager about players not adhering to his game plan stirred frustration, eroding unity within the squad – sound familiar?
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