Erik Ten Hag is gone, but the Sack Race moves on regardless. Martin, Lopetegui and O'Neil are the men now under pressure.

Much has been said about West Ham’s lack of identity under Julen Lopetegui and that absence of direction was on clear display as his team stumbled to a lacklustre draw against Everton.

As an under-pressure Julen Lopetegui addressed the media on Thursday, it was notable that he was at his happiest when discussing plans to spend much of the international break visiting his 94-year-old father. It offered some respite, at long last, from the deluge of questions about his West Ham future.