Nuno steady despite chaos behind the scenes
One of my biggest regrets for West Ham this season is that we’ve never really seen what Nuno Espírito Santo could do in a stable environment.
He was parachuted into a job that would test any coach—and did so without the comfort blanket of a payoff clause if things went wrong.
Since arriving, Espirito Santo has had to deal with a misshapen, tactically disjointed squad left behind by Graham Potter, as well as the in-house battles at boardroom level which have now spilled into the open.
And through all of that, he’s been calm.
Positive messaging may be key to survival
Nuno has consistently said everything will be OK—that he will keep West Ham in the Premier League.
A lot of that has probably gone under the radar. Understandably so. Most managers are so media-trained that their press conference lines go in one ear and out the other.
I don’t know if Nuno fully believes what he’s saying—but as a West Ham fan who is increasingly concerned about the club’s direction, I’ll take it.
More importantly, the players will hear it.
Home form could decide West Ham fate
Speaking again yesterday, he doubled down:
“I’m very confident (we stay up). Our performances are giving us all the belief and we are competing well. One of our main goals was to be comfortable at home and the credit goes to the fans. The atmosphere is good. Having three of our last five at home is positive.”
It’s reassuring—but it’s also accurate.
Nuno has quietly made the London Stadium a far tougher place to come, which is no small achievement given the limitations of the ground.
West Ham are now unbeaten in their last five at Stratford, and with three of the remaining fixtures at home, that could well be the factor that decides whether they stay up or not.
Regardless of whether you look at the last 4, 6, 8, 10 or 12 played form table we’re on mid table form…
We’re also remarkably injury free and out of other competitions.
While none of that is a guarantee, all of it is good indication.
I agree to an extent Gonzo but I think that some people forget Nuno will be taking charge of his 30th game in the league come Saturday. His first game was 29th Sept.
I’d say Nuno looked dejected and downright pee’d off until he was able to get some of his backroom staff in place.
Of course it’s a collective effort but I think a lot of the plaudits should go to Paco and co.
(Different convo on why it took so long….)