However much it might seem defeatist, there is planning and ‘talk of planning’ going on as the Hammers face the increasingly likely possibility of a season in the Championship.
Managing the player exodus, dealing with board room turmoil and bringing in players on the cheap that can guide the club through an ultra-competitive season in the second tier is no mean ask: The Hammers have apparently already decided who they plan to ask to lead the club back to the Premier League in the even of relegation.
As reported by the telegraph.co.uk in their exclusive today:
“West Ham want to keep Nuno Espirito Santo even if relegated
Exclusive: Portuguese manager would have to decide whether he wants to stay if London club lose battle against drop into Championship”
Of course, whether Nuno decides to stay is another matter. the Portuguese head coach has put up enough of a fight at the helm of the Hammers to ensure that there’ll be other top tier offers for him to consider. In any case if he stays in East London, the suggested ‘relegation clause’ in his contract will wipe off about £2 mill a year form his salary.
You could understand the guy running for the hills after the last six months at West Ham.
Paco Jémez – more suited to life in the Championship?
Whether Paco Jemez is seen as a successor to steer the club back from the championship is not known. That’d be the question I’d like answering come May 25th if the worst happens. Nuno is a great conservative, defensively minded manager: But one suitable to play the kind of football to lead a promotion charge? I’m not so sure.
Nuno did get Wolves promoted….
If he is/ was so good , why didn’t he stay? BTW we are still a shambles…
Nuno has done really well with us. That is the issue as I suspect other premier league clubs will want him. Probably not an issue with Parker whether that be fair or otherwise
Paco Jemez for me he has worked wonders since joining the club far better than Potter or Lopitigui put together
If we do go down as looks increasingly likely. What would be the point in leaving Sully to run the club when he has proved he hasn’t got the skill set to do so. Nuno has done ok considering he didn’t recruit the players but he is still far too defensive minded for me. Without changes I will not renew my season tickets even though there are attractions to playing in the championship e.g. 3pm Saturday kick offs and no VAR
No matter what some may say, Nuno has taken our Hammers to the brink of relegation whilst managing some of the world’s best footballers. Some praise his defensive strategies yet his goals conceded and our negative “goal difference” ranks higher than most, if not all, Premiership teams. Goals scored under his guidance has been pathetic. His team selection has, at times, left many totally flabbergasted with starting lineups and substitutions including the likes of Kilman who has given up needless penalties, at least two of which have cost us critical results. It’s time for Nuno, Sullivan and Brady to move on and let more competent management run our club.
Its going to be Scott Parker he is available for £0 and has experienced the Championship more recently than Nuno so i predict that is what will happen
He didn’t have the team he wanted, he’s done well considering he had limited funds in January. Better to let him build again, and allow him to have more of his team to help. They will have some funds from saleable players, parachute payment, youth promotions etc. Paco is a popular suggestion, but has no premier league or championshop record, and ran a volatile team before – can’t afford chances in the Championship, look at Leicester, its not that easy.
I would fancy giving Paco a try. Nuno has done well since the Forest home match but he has to shoulder a fair share of the blame because of poor form around Christmas. We need this chairman out as nothing will change whilst he is there. Paco might need to brush up his language skills as I don’t think his English is too hot
Nuno once did brilliantly getting a club out of the Championship, so no doubts on that score. But at this stage of his career I doubt he’ll want to manage again at that level.
Nuno Espírito Santo led Wolves to the EFL Championship title in the 2017–18 season, securing promotion with a dominant record of 99 points, 30 wins, and a goal difference of +57. He was named the 2018 Sky Bet Championship Manager of the Year for this achievement, which marked a new era for the club.Championship Record (2017–18 Season):Matches: 46Wins: 30Draws: 9Losses: 7Goals For: 82Points: 99Key Highlights:Promotion: Secured promotion to the Premier League with four games to spare.Champions: Won the Championship title (2017/2018).Impact: Transformed the club, which finished 15th the previous season, into top-flight
Hard to imagine he would want it but he did get Wolves promoted and build them into the best they’d been for a long time. He didn’t have much opportunity build the squad he wanted and also how he arrived without his backroom staff is beyond me.
The devil you know, especially with Sullivans ability to pick managers, maybe the best choice. He transformed a shambles of a team into something competitive.
You would think he would have better offers though.