So what can we as fans expect from the visit of Brighton to the London Stadium this weekend? If it’s anything like what our esteemed leadership appears happy to accept, the answer has to be ‘not a lot’!
Earlier in the week, prior to the Bournemouth game, it was made known by one of our hierachy (or top sources, as he likes to be known) that expectations for certain games were limited. One of them being the encounter with the high-flying Cherries. We were informed Lopetegui has “some leeway because there are long odds against us winning (that night)”.
The implication being Julen was safe so long as he didn’t lose to those teams currently beneath us – because those were the teams we were expected to beat.
Upcoming encounters with Liverpool, Man City, Fulham and Brighton were free hits – it’s the trip to Southampton on Boxing day and the visits of Palace and Leicester in January and February he’ll be judged on. So when the Seagulls land at our place no-one upstairs in the main stand will be expecting too much, so it seems.
Is that the way us paying punters should be feeling? If it is there’s more wrong at our club than I thought. Having supported West Ham for over 60 years I know only too well the disappointment and heartbreak my obsession has inflicted upon me. But I always live in hope. It’s what we do!
Despite the concerns many of us have with Julen Lopetegui – and his continued tenure at our club – there have been genuine words of sympathy and support for the Head Coach whose father sadly passed away earlier this week.
But come 3pm on Saturday his reputation and future will be under scrutiny yet again – certainly from the terraces – but it appears in certain sections of the posh seats criticism wont be as pointed as elsewhere, whatever happens.
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I thought this season was to see us building on the platform the Moyes’ years had given us. To coin an overworked cliche: "take us to the next level". Not much chance of that now!
Far from reaching for the sky, the word from the corridors of power at Stratford appears to be retain the status quo. Keep our place in the Premier League – keep us clear of relegation and we’ll be satisfied. Job done!
Is that really what we want to hear? Is that now the size of our ambition under the present leadership? So long as the team aren’t in any danger the current Head Coach won’t be shown the door! To say the last five months – and looking likely the next five months – have been a wasted opportunity is an understatement.
With the right choice of management in the first place and similarly the right blend and quality of players to go with him (our spending last summer wasn’t insignificant) we could have had a right crack at the big time this season. Instead it’s been a slog so far – and certainly a time to forget.
For the record, although Brighton sit five places and five points above us, their recent form hasn’t been great. No wins in the last four league games and a smarting 3-0 home defeat last weekend by their so-called local rivals Crystal Palace.
We can certainly get something out of the game – three points has to be the aim. That would be an unexpected bonus for those upstairs whose thinking appears to be more focused on lesser tests further down the line.
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