Simon Jordan has explained when West Ham must instantly sack Julen Lopetegui after the Spaniard’s appointment was made official.
Julen Lopetegui was only officially unveiled as West Ham’s new head coach three days ago.
But there has already been much debate about how long he will be with the Hammers.
It is fair to say fan reaction to the appointment both before and since the announcement has been lukewarm.
Media analysis, on the whole, has been pretty scathing with judgement of Lopetegui clearly coloured by the way he left Wolves last summer.
A host of pundits, journalists and ex players have warned West Ham they have made the wrong appointment in the 57-year-old Spaniard.
Troy Deeney even claims Lopetegui could be sacked after just 10 games.
There is no hiding the fact Lopetegui will be under pressure at West Ham from the start.
Lopetegui must combine style with substance
Not only to get results but play a better, more attacking and exciting brand of football.
After all that is why many supporters wanted to see the club move on from David Moyes.
Sky Sports’ top reporter Kaveh Solhekol recently said the West Ham board want fans to judge Lopetegui after a year.
West Ham rather strangely did not disclose the length of Lopetegui’s contract.
But it has since been claimed it will be two years with a third added automatically if West Ham qualify for Europe.
Now Simon Jordan has explained when West Ham must instantly sack Lopetegui.
Never shy in voicing his opinion, Jordan has outlined the parameters by which he thinks West Ham’s new head coach should be judged.
And he says if he fails in meeting those parameters, he should be ‘instantaneously sacked’.
Jordan explains when Lopetegui must be sacked
“Let’s hope it’s (the West Ham job) to his liking!” Jordan said on talkSPORT – which you can see below – in a pointed dig at the way he walked out on Wolves.
“I don’t know (what to make of the appointment). He is someone who has managed big clubs, he’s someone that comes with a perception of him that you’re going to achieve big things…
“We’ll see, he’s got lots to say for himself about what he thinks he’s entitled to and what he thinks he should get.
“He took the Real Madrid job and people look at that and go ‘well you don’t get the Real Madrid job for nothing’. Well he got it for nothing because he lasted 14 games. With that in mind we’ll see if the reputation and perception of this manager manifests itself in an outcome.
“He did a decent job for Wolves… but I don’t know, he’s one of those…
“I’m not quite sure what he’s saying he’s going to achieve, is he saying they’re going to be more competitive? Well I thought they were competitive already. So it will be interesting to see what he thinks West Ham are capable of.
“If he goes into West Ham and keeps them in the ninth position but their brand of football is more exciting, I assume that will appease the West Ham fans…
“We’ll see what this fella does. It’s very easy to tell everyone what you’re going to do, it’s much more difficult to go and achieve it.”
‘Lopetegui knows what the brief is’
Jordan states that Lopetegui is coming into West Ham well aware what the brief is.
That being to play a different brand of football.
“So they (West Ham’s owners) must have matched his outlay, his history, his interview with the perception of what they want,” Jordan adds.
“And so surely we’re going to see a very offensively minded, easy on the eye, beautifully balanced West Ham United side next year. And if we don’t then he should be fired instantaneously!
“It has to be attacking football, it has to be possession based. West Ham have got the players. Why have you got (Lucas) Paqueta… why have you got (Mohammed) Kudus, why have you got these players that clearly are players who can do more damage a little bit further up the field and you play in a way which is reactive? And it is a fair observation.
“He’s a very lucky boy. He’s walking into a club with wonderful owners, a decent playing squad and a fanbase that’s no longer whining about the stadium they’re playing in and is now more interested in whining about the style of football.”