WHEN David Moyes watched West Ham's 4-1 defeat by Manchester City from the stands on Saturday, some fans may have wished he was still in charge.
Sacking Moyes last summer was not the wrong decision, but the appointment of the now departed Julen Lopetegui was a catastrophic misstep.
West Ham were forced to move on from the Scot despite leading them to Europa Conference League glory in 2023.
Replacement Lopetegui – who has finally been given the start – never looked like the man to take them forward and the former Real Madrid, Sevilla and Wolves boss has been given more time than necessary to prove just that.
After spending £127.5m on Max Kilman, Crysencio Summerville, Niclas Fullkrug, Luis Guilherme and Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the summer window, the Hammers have fallen backwards from the solid foundations Moyes has built.
Lopetegui quickly looked like a dead man walking.
It feels as if West Ham are back to square one halfway through the season – fourteenth in the table and just seven points above the drop zone.
There was nothing wrong with the supporters wanting something more than Moyes at the end of last season.
Throughout the second half of that campaign, the Hammers lacked threat and identity, causing the manager's tenure to fall apart.
While it's hard to argue, things would have been this bad if Moyes had signed the deal that was on the table this time last year.
After a doomed summer pursuit of Ruben Amorim, which would have marked a major tactical shift, West Ham landed Lopetegui.
It was not an appointment that was unanimously supported within the hierarchy, although it was backed with huge expenditure – which has not delivered results.
There were early concerns within the squad about a lack of tactical practice in training and little work on structure. The fact that there was no clearly recognizable playing style also raised doubts.
Those concerns spread to the boardroom as they watched Arsenal, Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool (twice) put at least four goals past the Hammers.
Moyes' biggest problem last season was the backline, with a club record 74 goals conceded in the Premier League during the season.
But they are on track to match that figure.
Far too much has been placed on the individual talents of Jarrod Bowen – now out injured for six weeks – and Mohammed Kudus, who was suspended for five games.
The lack of understanding between Lopetegui and his players has boiled over at times, with both Kudus and Jean-Clair Todibo involved in heated arguments with their manager.
Kudus and the Spaniard fell out at Brentford in September when West Ham were trailing, while Todibo vented after Arsenal scored five first-half goals in November.
There were also concerns about the team on the manager's side.
Since the departure of Declan Rice in 2023, West Ham have lacked a vocal leader and Lopetegui is concerned about their mentality. But that concern was not addressed.
Hammers have also lacked pace and presence in midfield all season, with their only energetic runner, James Ward-Prowse, being loaned out to Nottingham Forest.
Ward-Prowse made way for Carlos Soler, who has made little impact since his move from Paris Saint-Germain.
The signing of Guido Rodriguez on a free transfer from Real Betis was a disaster.
Lopetegui cannot be blamed for every deal, with technical director Tim Steidten taking the lead role.
But Steidten and the manager have had a tense relationship, which led to the German being asked to stay away from the training pitch this week.
Moyes had fallen out with Steidten but the hope was that Lopetegui, with a more European vision, could work alongside him.
That failed, as did most elements of Lopetegui's tenure.
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