West Ham fans, owners and in some respects Julen Lopetegui himself will be put out of their misery in five days time.
Hammers supporters have been put in a terrible position by the club’s hierarchy.
No true West Ham fan would surely ever admit to actually wanting the team to lose.
But many are so fed up with Julen Lopetegui they are coming close.
It takes a lot to upset West Ham’s away fans.
They’re a fiercely loyal, committed and enthusiastic bunch who have seen more thin than thick down the years.
They are also among West Ham’s most knowledgeable supporters.
So when they fully turned on Lopetegui by calling for his head at Leicester, it should have had alarm bells ringing in the Hammers boardroom.
Instead the club felt they had to give the Spaniard one more chance.
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But as many supporters pointed out when slamming the decision to stick rather than twist last week, an isolated win over a terrible Wolves side is meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
All it has done is delay the inevitable.
David Sullivan and Julen Lopetegui.
Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images
Board leave West Ham in bizarre purgatory
In reality the only reason Lopetegui kept his job is because David Sullivan and co were trying to get one of their candidates to agree to take up an initial six-month deal.
Just hours before kick-off against Wolves, it was claimed that West Ham had reached an agreement with Graham Potter.
The dismal atmosphere in the London Stadium – aside from a couple of tributes to Michail Antonio – reflects how West Ham fans feel about Lopetegui being retained.
There were a smattering of jeers at half-time after another poor performance.
Overall Wolves were the better team for long spells in the match and deserved at least a draw after seeing two strong penalty appeals dismissed. Not to mention there was a clear foul before West Ham scored their winner.
Anything other than a win would have seen Lopetegui sacked.
But as things stand, the board cannot fire the 58-year-old off the back of a victory.
So West Ham’s owners have put the club into this bizarre purgatory.
Hammers holding pattern continues but not for much longer
A holding pattern where report after report details the latest player to fall out with a manager who, by all accounts, is rubbing too many people up the wrong way since he arrived in east London.
Some of the players have to take their fair share of the blame too of course. As well as Tim Steidten and Sullivan.
Lopetegui’s position was almost untenable when news emerged of his dust-up with Jean-Clair Todibo at half-time of the shambolic defeat to Arsenal.
Especially as it came out, rather suspiciously, in the wake of fans calling for the manager to be sacked after the defeat at Leicester.
Potter is not the only name being heavily linked with the Hammers, though.
Now West Ham target Andoni Iraola will finally end the Lopetegui farce and take his job afterwards.
As pointed out by journalist Jacob Steinberg since the Wolves win, Lopetegui remains on thin ice at West Ham.
The club’s owners were not impressed with the Wolves performance and expect better.
They also agreed that a trip to high-flying Bournemouth, who have been playing some exhilarating football, will be a far greater test and barometer for Lopetegui and his side.
Head Coaches Julen Lopetegui of West Ham United and Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between West Ham United ...
Photo by Robin Jones – AFC Bournemouth/AFC Bournemouth via Getty Images
West Ham target Iraola will finally end Lopetegui farce
It was claimed recently that Sullivan is targeting Iraola for West Ham.
Iraola’s name was also one of four in-contract managers offered up to fans by a Sullivan ally last week.
After their 1-0 home win over Spurs, Bournemouth were unlucky not to score four or five.
They were a class apart, further underlining Iraola’s credentials as he took Ange Postecoglou to school.
After that game former Hammer Don Hutchison said West Ham’s owners ‘should be all over Iraola’.
The irony is his tactical nous mean the Cherries will probably be all over West Ham on Monday night.
And if Bournemouth get the win then it may well be all over for Lopetegui with the Hammers.
The 42-year-old is exactly the kind of young, innovative, attack-minded manager West Ham fans both wanted and expected when the club was replacing David Moyes.
A coach loved by his players who commands respect through his tactical brain and approach.
Lopetegui’s fellow Basque has Bournemouth playing great football and punching well above their weight.
It’s not lost on Hammers fans – or the owners if reports are to be believed – that Iraola was able to implement his style and philosophy in a matter of months on the south coast.
Yet here West Ham are with fans, players and ownership still none the wiser about how Lopetegui is trying to play, six months since arriving in east London.
I expect Andoni to embarrass Lopetegui tactically and that could be reflected in the scoreline.
Shoul that happen, Lopetegui will be sacked. Make no mistake about it.
The problem is Sullivan will have to fork out around £5m to get Iraola out of the Vitality.
Reports have claimed he would be willing to do that on this occasion.
Sullivan will have a big call to make on Monday night if West Ham are beaten at Bournemouth.
And the billionaire will have had a front row seat to watch the man who could be replacing Lopetegui.
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