Despite the “Sacked in the morning ” singing emanating from his own team’s supporters after the mediocre display at Vicarage Road, West Ham’s manager will feel pretty secure just now as the boardroom remains in chaos after one cycle of the shareholder pre-emptive rights options comes to an end.
Until the outcome is known, his bosses will be pre-occupied with a power struggle for shares in a rapidly devaluing football club now nineteenth in the second tier, and the last thing they’ll be able to agree on is the firing and hiring of a successor.
Nuno did represent the figurehead of ‘stability’ whilst all upstairs was in limbo this summer but he’s come to signify all that was bad about last year instead.
There were promising signs from his team selection yesterday: Few would argue with the team or set up deployed but it was the ultra cautious style and the early conceding of another goal that put his mediocre opponents in the driving seat.
Dropping the kids – and the tactics – deployed in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup game didn’t work well for Nuno yesterday
Espírito Santo himself is clear that pressure goes with the job and that he doesn’t resent the fanbase for their loud voices of discontent:
“The fans are the most important part of our club and I respect them so much. I understand everything, I respect every opinion….Pressure is on us every day. We are a big club and we are favourites to go up. We have two points from three games, so who’s happy?
He’d better take a look in his calendar: There’s an international break conveniently situated just a few weeks ahead with games to come before against Wolves, Derby, Bolton, Wrexham and Millwall all before the 20th September break.
If he hasn’t got the Hammers winning before then, likely the boardroom battle will be sorted next month and he’ll find himself having to answer personally for his team’s shocking start to the season.
I misread the title, I thought it said, “The Moaning After”……
I feel we are a club in freefall. The leadership at the club is currently in disarray while the Staveley, Gold, and Kretinsky debacle continues. The final disassociation from Sullivan is long overdue and while he lingers in the background, we still have the challenges he has always burdened us with. If Kretinsky wants to own this club, then get on with it and sort out the ownership mess.
That coupled with a team which hasn’t really gelled due to a last minute recruitment drive and mass selling campaign doesn’t help.
There is also issue within the team. The continuation of Bowen as Captain hasn’t worked and to be honest I’m not sure he is in the right state of mind. Personally I haven’t rated him as a captain, he is a great player but he doesn’t instill hunger or drive in the team.
And finally Nuno, not sure he has a real handle on what he has got and how to use it. The team has now lost more balance with outgoings and I’m not sure if we are a counter attacking, keep the ball or direct attacking team. It’s clear the formula isn’t working. If we want to go straight back up then we need to be quick in getting it right. If we need to rebuild, develop our academy and resolve the Sullivan rot, then accept that we should use this league to do that rather than pressure us to instantly return. Let’s get the expectation right and remove the anxiety and nervous reactions.
Was at the game and we were toothless for 90 minutes. Not down to Engles, Kante or Orford because they had no runners to find. Both wingers failed to deliver a quality ball all day. Bowen especially was shocking. £50m looking attractive. Tatty on his own up front for most of the day and he lacks the physicality to do it on his own. Had to play 2 up top and Nuno bottled it again. When Piroe came on he sat on the right for Christ sake! KWP at left back but no left foot so cut in all day. Watford bang average but had no trouble keeping us at bay.
On the plus side, Golumbeckis was so good. We have a player on our hands with this young man. Other than us standing off for their goal, we did look OK at the back and Veltman was rock solid. Just look nervous against a fast break.
Another left back, centre back, two wingers and a defensive midfielder please. Oh yes, and a rocket for Bowen!
Very glad there are some sensible, measured comments here. Anyone who thinks with all the ongoing changes to the squad which have happened so late in the window, that we are going to have a settled team, firing on all cylinders needs their head testing! How the hell is Nuno going to know what his best team is without trying things out? How about the team are tentative because pretty much every game so far has had a different line- up?! I’m not convinced by the squad, but I can see that there isn’t a hope in hell of Nuno making the best of it, yet. We need a creator, which I don’t see much sign of, but I am excited by the prospect of Austbø. Other spots need filling in the next couple of days, but seriously, it’s going to take weeks for the new players to bed in and for Nuno to know what his starting eleven looks like. We are going to have to be patient.
Too early to be getting carried away with ‘sack Nuno’ talk.
We are exactly where we were in 1980, 2 points from 3 games, and we went on then to be promoted by early April and to set a new points record for the division.
See who else comes in before the end of the ‘window’ and be patient. We’ll be fine.
From day one with his Luno selections, his clear lack of effort to man manage players and 2 obvious backhander unsuitable ‘sent us down’ transfers, I don’t think he gives a damn about losing his WH job and taking his pay off!
Accusing our manager of illegal financial dealings? I hope you have watertight evidence of that Roy………. or a good lawyer 😉.
If he was new into the role I’d be saying give him some time but this is a continuation of last seasons debacle.
What’s really concerning is being ultra defensive in the prem is one thing but to be doing it in the championship tells me he’s past his sell by date as a manager.
Someone mentioned it the other day about how many GKs make good managers but ultimately his defensive nature is in his DNA.
The away contingent have turned and I suspect a defeat to Wolves on Tuesday will see the noise grow.
If you think that we are bad, stop to take a look at Spurs. NES still needs to go. If he won’t resign, sack him. He is out of his depth even in the Championship.
Nuno was only any good when Paco was around, without him he is useless. I don’t care how many times the Board is in crisis they need to stop hold a meeting and get Dyche in and Nuno out.
My morning after take is precisely the same as last evening. We are nowhere near to automatic promotion quality and we are reaping the outcomes of the incompetences of the passed few years.
Sacked in the morning likely means away support lost or at least well on the way to being lost.
If Nuno sets out to line up 4-4-2-1 in games we are doomed. He needs to understand attacking football is the only way to get promoted.
Darkhorse, if Nuno sets up 4-4-2-1 we are indeed doomed. We’ll get banned for playing an extra player!
Too right we are doomed if we play a 4-4-2-1 seeing as that would mean we have one more player on the pitch than the rules allow. Because that formation has 11 outfield players. Unless you are placing the goalkeeper somewhere else. Now, you were saying about understanding attacking football? 🤭
Yes we have new players that need to get to know each other, but it doesn’t mean it isn’t obvious that Nuno’s tactics and in-game decisions are negative. Orford and Piroe should’ve started and Ajala should’ve been brought on for at least the last 10 minutes. Anyone with a bit of common sense would’ve done that. Sometimes I feel like managers don’t do the obvious because their own ego makes them want to do something completely different to show us peasants they know better!
I think it’s way too early to turn on Nuno. See where we are after ten games. We might be at the top of the league by then.
After 10 games, at this rate we’ll have 7 points and be in the bottom 3.
Nuno is not a new manager and has had around 40 games and he’s doing nothing different
Sadly for me living on North Herts, there’s going to be two local games to look forward to next season Stevenage and Luton, at least it will save the journey to the soulless bowl
Sort this out now and sack Nuno
Nuno needs to up his game what is going on on the pitch is not good enough and nuno is the one who decides the tatics. Which he seems incapable of getting right last season he cost us ponits with his try this try that and not getting it right and he seems to be to be same thing again had he not lost points because of his tatics that didnt make sense we would not be in the championship now a change needs to hapen and it really needs to hapen now
I’m feeling positive too, and Peter the Dutchman makes the inportant points about new players settling in and getting used to one another’s play,
Nuno needs to go go! He’s to cautious & not bold enough to get us out of this league. ⚒⚒⚒🏴
I might be biased, but yesterdays’ performance wasn’t ‘mediocre’ at all.
West Ham were away from home, yet dominated most of the game, but simply could not create/finish chances.
Some credit has to go to Watford, who remain unbeaten, 5th in the table.
If Watford were mediocre – what did that make West Ham yesterday?
1 shot on target and only got a point through a comical own goal.
There was only one mediocre team yesterday – and it wasn’t Watford.
Nuno was brought in by Sully and is a typical Sully rescue manager like BFS and Moyes with a defensive mindset
He may still get us promoted but will never play scintillating attacking football
I am not defending Nuno, but bringing in players so late will mean they take time to create an understanding. And we couldn’t plan for players last May as right up to the last game we didnt know which division we would be in. And then you have to deal with a load of players who don’t want to be in that division. If we don’t improve by the end of Sep then I agree we are in trouble, but for the moment let’s allow them to blend in, get a few more in, a couple more out and go from there. A few wins on the bounce gets you up the table very quickly in this division. Glass half full lecture over.