It's not quite a revolution but certainly the biggest transformation of West Ham in a long time, maybe even our history, that has dominated the build-up to the new season.
As we approach Saturday’s opening game of the 2024/25 campaign at home to Aston Villa, the wholesale changes in the way the club is run, from pitch to boardroom have dominated the summer months.The football side is very different, as is - sadly - the way the board have sought to force-feed a hugely different commercial approach to running the club. Major hikes in ticket prices and the hugely controversial axing of concessions that hits the youngest, oldest and disabled more than anyone else.
The changes have been met with fury by fans groups. 15,000 have already signed a petiton, several ex-players have attacked the changes and from outside the club there has been universal shock and condemnation. From the board, just silence.
Hammers United have led the fury, with the ISA and Supporters Trust alongside. Faced with indifference from senior directors, they have sent letters to board members Daniel Kretinsky, Vanessa Gold and Tripp Smith, seemingly to no avail.
I would be amazed if there was not some sort of protest against Villa on Saturday and social media is full of request for action. It's hardly the best way to welcome a new coach, with all of us wishing the new regime all the luck in the world.
All this just adds to the feeling, good and bad, of a new-look West Ham, miles away from the spirit of the Boleyn, and the deep family, community spirit of our past.
It may be viewed as overtly dramatic to talk in terms of a historical change, but I’ve been around since Ted Fenton’s days. Everything before that was from a different planet from today, and it’s hard to think of a managerial/coaching change that has been so far reaching. This all feels very different.
Ron Greenwood’s arrival eventually had a seismic effect on the club for generations, but at the time the Arsenal assistant manager barely raised a whimper when he walked into Upton Park in 1961 .John Lyall’s takeover was seamless, Billy Bonds was hugely important and welcomed by our fan base, but it was never the wholesale revolution of today.
Neither was Harry Redknapp or Alan Curbishley. Locally important, but hardly causing waves outside of east London. Pretty much the same for Alan Pardew, Lou Macari and Glenn Roeder.
Big Sam made an impact for sure, as did Slaven Bilic and Manuel Pellegrini, but in financial terms nothing like today. Pellegrini brought in Filipe Anderson in his first summer, Lukusz Fabianski had been bought by David Sullivan even before the Chilean arrived, so none of that initial outlay can match the Julen Lopetegui expenditure.
And frankly, few wanted David Moyes in either incarnation.
That’s while Lopetegui is different. We have got rid of our most successful manager in 30-plus years, and all his staff. We’ve taken on a whole entourage with the Spaniard, installed by common demand for a totally different style of play, imposed for the first time a technical director to run the club from top to bottom, and a transfer system to match.
For this model to work, coach and technical director must be working in unison, hardly what we had last season.
Tim Steidten was around last season, but it was never a seamless appointment, never the autonomous one man show it is now. The chemistry with Moyes was just not there, we had transfer by committee with precious little consensus.
Now Steidten is in command and we have spent around £130m on some pretty impressive signings. Exciting attacking players, a World Cup winner and a Champions League finalist little more than three months ago. Twenty players have left, six top draw signings have arrived with more promised and the whole structure of Moyes’ side and tactics have changed dramatically.
We are bouncing from pragmatic, low block, counter attack to high press possession football. Frankly it’s life changing for some of our players as well as fans. That’s why this is so much bigger than any change before.
Fans have demanded attacking football, and the cynics will say they want that and a better Premier League finish than Moyes managed. It has to be close to that, surely, with a return to Europe utterly crucial as quick as possible.
Let’s face it, if we fail to get back into Europe first time of asking, we will lose Mo Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Edson Alvarez - Manchester United wanted him earlier this summer - and a few more.
Kudus, who has dumped his agent and has family running his affairs now (why would he do that if he was happy with the previous guy?) has spoken very clearly about the immediate objective of Europe.
Kevin Nolan quite rightly recently pointed out that it was the lack of European football that has hampered some of Steidten's deals this summer. Paqueta, Kudus and Alvarez would never have signed if we hadn’t been in Europe, they’ll be gone in a flash if we can’t match their ambition.
As for Bowen, he has a happy family lifestyle in Essex and probably the captaincy soon but I’d doubt even with all that, he’d hang around without European football.
My view: there can be no honeymoon period, no bedding in until Christmas. Steidten and Lopetescu understand - it’s obvious by the way the final weeks of the transfer window and the wages and fees being thrown around - they must hit the ground running.
This league is too big, too rich and watched by billions worldwide. If you don’t compete from the off and look for excuses, you are dead in the water.
Last season’s fourth-placed Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea, Spurs and Manchester United await in our first nine games. It’s as tough as it gets, so no amount of “let’s give the new regime a chance” will wash.
Of course that attitude seems to stem from the folk who fought all last season to get Moyes out. The Scot hasn’t exactly gone quietly, has he?
A YouTube podcast with Simon Jordan last week saw Moyes suggest that a certain group had wanted him out and others had not given him the understanding and respect he deserves for his achievements at the club. Maybe he should let go and move on, but he’s entitled to an opinion and it’s not far from the truth.
But you won’t get his detractors to accept that, seems they can dish it out but can’t handle the response. So be it, let’s all move on, we have a new coach with experience and a bright approach and a glut of impressive, interesting new players.
I’m sure we all can’t wait to see how Guido Rodriguez and Niclas Fullkrug fit in, with Bowen, Paqueta and Kudus around them. Good luck everybody. This will be my 66th season following the Hammers, and I still get excited by new signings and new campaigns.
Maybe this time!
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