Lopetegui’s message is exactly what we wanted

Listening to Julen Lopetegui’s first official press conference as West Ham’s new head coach, I was reminded of Sam Allardyce’s inaugural press conference almost exactly 13 years ago.

Big Sam, you will recall, was parachuted into West Ham to help the club out of a very difficult situation in the Championship. However, his very first press conference sticks in my memory for a multitude of reasons, most of them consisting of contradictions between Allardyce and himself.

I’m not sure what exactly makes managerial press conferences so memorable, but David Moyes’ second debut is also remembered for all the wrong reasons. Poor old Moyes never quite erased the stains that remained after he told the press he would rebuild West Ham along the lines of Red Bull before telling the media that winning was his thing.

Anyway, I digress. Let’s go back to Big Sam’s first interview as West Ham manager in 2011.

Allardyce’s first press conference was a spectacle; it was the Big Sam Show and we were the audience. Yet between the self-satisfied new Hammer boss’s pronouncements was a tactical promise. It was a message that got lost among the contradictions and slogans, but it was fascinating nonetheless.

A New Tactical Dawn

Allardyce promised tactical flexibility, allowing West Ham to deploy more open, attacking tactics at home and then switch tactics and close up shop away from home. Of course, the idea never took the form of a real footballing mantra, but it seemed a good one at the time.

That is why, when I heard Julen Lopetegui promise the same tactic yesterday, I was encouraged, even if I had a wry smile. Because I believe that the playing spirit is solid and that is something that has been lacking at West Ham for some time. The team should look to take advantage in home games to try to turn the cavernous London Stadium into a cauldron of noise.

No one would have protested or complained if David Moyes had played with fear and caution away from home. Unfortunately for him, part of his undoing was using Southgate-style tactics at home against the likes of Sheffield United and Bristol City.

I’m certainly not going to judge Lopetegui’s words by the actions of his predecessors. The new Hammers manager deserves a chance to demonstrate and implement his new vision for West Ham and I have to admit I’m somewhat excited by the prospect.

There is an irony in Big Sam warning West Ham fans to be careful what they wish for with the appointment of a man who promises to deliver precisely what Allardyce failed to do.