Lucy’s Last Word: ‘We’ve hit the panic button, now it’s time to hit the reset button’

With the new year comes a new manager. Hooray? Everything feels a bit strange. I haven’t been this unhappy with a manager at the helm for years – I’m always the one calling for them to get more time, and arguing that there’s not really much point in getting rid of them.

But this season, the football has been woeful. And the atmosphere around the club has just been low. As I’ve alluded to in most Last Word’s this season, Lopetegui never felt like the right fit. 

The players weren’t listening to him, the team spirit was lacking and he himself just didn’t look happy. Fans didn’t warm to him – and I’m sure he’s a lovely bloke, but I guess after having a manager like Moyes who was good with players and fans alike, it was a big change in personality.

There’s a bigger issue at play here, obviously. The club is being run like a side project. As much as I wanted Lopetegui gone, I have no trust in the board that the new manager will be given what he wants and needs.

There are no surprises, it’s been the same for a long time. The Moyes triumphs papered over the cracks, but really we just want to see us run as a stable club with proper investment in players and managers.

Also, with a big January transfer window underway, how much are we going to see us spend – and will any money be spent wisely? If I had a penny for every time I wrote ‘we need a striker’, but we really do. 

Antonio and Bowen were the heart of our attacking force. Hopefully Bowen will make a strong return, but I’d rather he recovers properly and comes back fighting fit and doesn’t rush into anything. To coin another cliché – on paper, we’re decent. It’s going to take a fresh pair of eyes to assess the strengths of who we have and work out how to get the best out of them again, as a team.

We can get out of the trouble we’re in in the league with a bit of structure and the assumption that there are three worse teams than us. The Palace game could be big. It’s too early to be a six-pointer, but there’s a bit of a gap to be opened up there. Take nothing for granted though.