FOR ABOUT as long as I can remember, West Ham managers have been taking off forwards and bringing on extra defenders to try and cling on for a point or three.
It didn’t work when Alan Pardew tried it with Christian Dailly as an extra defender (ask your dad) and it didn’t work today.
Nuno couldn’t even use the excuse that he didn’t have any forwards to bring on: The cumbersome Traore and the creaking Callum Wilson were both deployed -eventually – but crucially, at 1-2 Nuno decided to break up the ‘two attackers’ Taty and Pedro who’d been doing such a good job of harrying, closing down and chasing endlessly which had contributed so much to put the Hammers in pole position.
With predictable results. Nuno couldn’t help himself from going to three at the back in the vain hope that adding Max Kilman to his defensive line would shore up a West Ham side who were on the ropes for most of the second half.
Going ultra defensive merely invited Chelsea to step up and press for a win; The Blues duly obliged and Nuno will come in for some pretty justified criticism for undoing all of that hard work that saw West Ham fans in dream land with their side going in 2-0 up and the home side being boo’ed off.
The fracas at the end showed a dreadful loss of control from Traore, Mavropanos and Todibo who was red carded for grabbing an opponent by the throat. Not a difficult decision for Anthony Taylor and now West Ham have to cope without him for two [edit: three games- plus] crucial games. “Safety” looks a very long way away tonight.
Nuno showed no tactical nous when Chelsea scored! He should of bolstered the midfield soucek was out for the count and fernandes was trying to stem the tide all on his own.Weve had a problem all season being overrun in midfield ie Leeds,wolves away Chelsea at home.And we should’ve kept Bowen on the field so we have pace to hit them on the counter attack! Nuno just invited Chelsea to attack us all of the second half and we handed the initiative back to them.Why do all of these managers try and defend for 45 minutes? Moyes Lopetegui potter and nuno they are all the same types of managers risk adverse.Our defense is terrible not the wingbacks but the two centre halves kilman and mavropanos are always making mistakes and neither control their penalty box or even pick up players they don’t assume responsibility at all.If Sullivan seriously wants us to have any chance of staying up we need 2 quality centre backs now! We can’t score 3/4 goals every game to try and get a result it’s ridiculous!
When we lost badly to Chelsea earlier in the season it was with a back 3. So what does Nuno do second half? Switches from an effective 442 to playing 3 at the back. Soon as he brings Kilman on we sit back and defend against wave after wave of attack.
Voice in the opposite direction – we were 2-1 up and getting pummelled in the first 20 minutes of the second half – we couldn’t get up and out. Wilson doesn’t offer pace …. Traore …. doesn’t hold the ball up. I will back Nuno on this one – it was a fair shout and would have been lauded as a genius if we had held on.
The truth is – we can’t defend. Decent first half team but they do so much gap plugging that we are done by 60 minutes.
Will take a miracle to stay up for sure…. but the players have some heart at least. Don’t blame Nuno for that one …. I could see the logic… it was a gamblers punt!
I’m sorry, but I think you’re in a very small minority backing the substitution of a forward coming on for a calamitous confidence-shattered defender to try and see out the game.
We were being overrun in midfield and we needed someone like Potts in there to crowd them out, hassle them, keep possession, and try and spray the ball out wide to launch counterattacks.
Nuno is seemingly on a one-man mission to relegate us. It looks like he’ll succeed.
At 2-1 with substitutions made, I’m sure a lot of WHU fans went “uh oh, we could lose this one”.
Lot of tired legs out there including Pablo, Fernandes and Soucek. Also others – I think Bowen & AWB but in effect nothing was done to hep out Fernandes and Soucek. Great to have an attacking formation but once manager decides to be defensive, having a small squad, could have bolstered the midfield (Kante, Potts, even Mayers as well). Then Chelsea are kept further back up the pitch and have to battle to get through WHU’s midfield.
Bringing on a 3rd CB, in effect did not help keep pressure away from the backline it seems to me.
I think there is a good case to ditch Nuno and give the reigns to Paco, am fairly sure he would continue to attack. Pablo was actually doing more for us offensively than Taty today but as is Nuno’s way he seems to consistently take the more effective player off. The real problem was not playing Scarles from the start, he is our best left back, we should imho sell Diouf other than pace and crossing ability he offers little, Scarles is an all rounder. Then as you mentioned Nuno did the same as against Bournemouth with a worse result, having said all that Bowen should have had a penalty in the first half, Kilman was pushed by Delap and whoever played the ball across from the byline looked offside to me by about a yard though no one mentioned it.
It was a good performance against a team that are in a different league quality wise and so long as we focus on the positives we still should be good enough to get within striking distance of Leeds by the final day.
No excuses for the board they need to buy two match changing options between now and the close of the window not the awful Disasi proper players.
Wish I had your positivity but I don’t.There is no confidence in this team no more.
If Forest win tomorrow that’s it.
What is the obsession with Scarles? He’s a very ordinary left back at best.
This clueless and cowardly manager will relegate us, on top of the cheapskate charlatan’s failure to strengthen our squad properly last summer.
We were getting overrun in midfield, and his “solution” to the problem was to bring on an awful defender who’s incredibly low on confidence which just piled the pressure even more onto us.
Potts should’ve come on to give us more numbers in the middle of the pitch to crowd them out.
I’m almost resigned to the fact that this bloke and our awful owners will relegate us as they’ve failed to do their jobs properly.
Traore and kilman are very poor players! Fernandes was trying to stop their midfield on his own souceks legs had gone at 1-2 and Magassa and Potts should’ve come on to stop Chelsea attacking at will.We could’ve then tried to catch Chelsea on the counterattack. I was upset with nuno for not being braver,what he did was what moyes would’ve done!
Regrettably, safety IS an awfully long way away – & may be even further away after Forest’s game tomorrow. The fact is that we are 5 points behind & have played a game more. That, at this stage of the season, is a huge points difference to make up. It can be done, but the chances are very small. A pity, really, because – if we already had a few more points – this team could do it. But, despite today’s first half performance, the team are at the point where making up 5 points is most probably beyond them.
Nuno keeps making the same mistake and never seems to learn! He’s taking us down I’m afraid.
Pablo had to come off as the bloke had run himself into the ground but why the f take him off for Kilman.
Absolute madness. That result is squarely on Nuno and his negative tactics.
Chelsea were there for the taking.
Although there is no excuse normally for the actions of Tolebo etc the whole thing was started by the linesman decision which he got wrong with it right in front of them. Flaging for a corner then changing to goal kick when it was actually hand ball by the Chelsea defender, holding on to the ball to stop a corner. Maybe a case of big club rule as far the officials are concerned, showen more with a deliberate pull back to stop a break away unpunished.
Waiting for the “never trust West Ham with your dog” gags (facepalm).
Don’t worry about Todbio Sullivan’s on the job and will be buying a couple of replacements.
He will access the problem and use his in depth knowledge to cure the problem.
That was season defining .win and Leeds,palace,forest are getting nervous now we have just given them the best boost they could possibly have asked for .we are gone thanks Nuno you lame excuse for a manager.
Absolutely gutted by this after being 2-0 up at half time BUT it’s my own fault I shudda known we’d lose 3-2 🙄.
Forget safety Martin, we’re down. No escape now.
3 games Martin VIOLENT CONDUCT
Good god. There are 14 games left to play and we’re on the same position as we were at the start of the day.
What two crucial games?we’re gone,done,that’s it.No coming back
We are just not a team who can hold onto leads.
☹️ you are spot on