Finishing games more strongly is clearly something West Ham’s coaching staff and players have discussed after early season wobbles that saw points dropped late-on in games.
A morale-boosting clean sheet comes at just the right time as West Ham press to head back towards the top of the second division after their poor start. Clearly Nuno has had to reconsider his own approach, having seen that ‘parking the bus’ failed to deliver anything but strife in the last ten minutes of games which the Hammers should have won.
That last quarter of the tie is also the best time to swamp opponents and carry the game beyond their reach, believes Joel Veltman, suggesting the Hammers need to remain more aggressive right until the final whistle.
Speaking to West Ham’s web site after their three-nil victory against Derby:
“Scoring early made it easier for us. You know the chances and the spaces in between the opponents. Defensively, the midfield part will be bigger and you could see it in the last ten minutes.
Gelling as a team: Veltman believes there’s a lot more to come now that the unit is training and playing regularly
We had so much space. We just need to be better in that in the last 15 to 20 minutes, I would say.
“Be clean, be focused and then you can score three or four goals like we did today.”
Which should be the benchmark for many of the games in this division, seeing the gulf between the best and worst of the Championship teams. As West Ham’s new right back suggests, now that the squad have an opportunity to gel, train and play with each other week in, week out, regular wins must become the norm rather than the exception. As he puts it:
“The combinations are getting better. We talk more, we know each other better on the pitch and off the pitch. That makes it just so much easier when we play games.
“We have now four games to go before the international break and the transfer window is all done now. We know the squad and we’re going to go all in.”
Agree with many others on here: The “Nuno Out” brigaid are tiresome. Park the bus and comments like it are lazy journalism at its worst. WH as a team has had a culture of starting slowly, sitting back after going a goal up and finishing weakly when in front for years… way before Nuno was even in the country. Sam Allardyce, David Moyes, Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter all coached it into the team. For anyone to come in and change it will take a couple of seasons and 4 windows. Given his 1 season and second window, Nuno is doing well… The whiners would do well to remember that. And…it’s interesting: when the team loses it’s Nuno’s fault. When they win, it’s the players, with no credit given to the manager, just a grudging refrain from the usual whinging.
Well said. The squad is starting to look and feel like a good Championship one, earlier than I expected. This is down to the players and all of the coaching staff.
Well I did praise the manager for his subs scoring and for the team selection so to say he has been given no credit is false.
That’s the trouble with looking for something…. Inevitably you’ll find it.
So if you are searching out moaning you’ll miss the rest. I think we have been very positive since the game.
Incidentally, Martin is quite within his rights to use the term ‘park the bus’.
Nuno has serious form for doing so but let’s be fair here. Martin is not really saying anything too different to what many of the players (including Veltman) have said already…. We must not sit back on leads and in this game we didn’t.
I never saw a player rating of the match? Long time since I’ve written anything a happy ghost reader here:)
Hi Peter,
That’s my fault mate..I was doing the video at the time so couldn’t produce the ratings.
They will be back for Bolton though.
I wouldn’t rule out Nuno reverting to parking the bus tactics, especially away from home. He seems oblivious to the fact that it rarely works.
I also think that judging him on the early season results were a bit unfair as he didnt have the squad that he has now look at the bench yesterday….
I like the sound of Veltman. Just the kind of character we need in the dressing room.
Veltman could be our new Balon Dawson! I have been impressed with him so far, and he may be the steadying influence for Dino and Max!
I would echo all his thoughts, the combinations are getting better, because of the type of new arrivals, given time and patience I’m sure this manager and his staff will rise above all the, sack him in morning, and Nuno ball is useless quotes. A couple of games ago you gave him no chance.