By Kris Gonzo | Senior West Ham Columnist (Follow on X)
A dreadful afternoon for West Ham, who once again started slowly and were punished by a Charlton team with more pace, desire and purpose. Nuno’s strange deployment of his two strikers didn’t help and the Hammers looked devoid of leadership and creativity for long periods. Things improved after the break, particularly when Lewis Orford came on, and Joel Piroe scored on his debut to give West Ham hope. But Taty Castellanos’ stoppage-time penalty miss summed up a miserable afternoon.
West Ham Player Ratings
Mads Hermansen: 5
His first job was to pick the ball out of the net. Made a comfortable save on 20 minutes but the visitors were better and quicker than West Ham and happy to use their pace on the counter-attack.
Kyle Walker-Peters: 4
Given the task of marking the Addicks’ best player, Campbell. Out-muscled and dispossessed by the same player after 18 minutes and Leaburn almost scored.
Konstantinos Mavropanos: 3
Made a hash of Charlton’s long throw-in as Mohamadou Kanté looked poised to win the ball. Dinos nudged him out of the way and then failed to contest the ball himself. 1-0 to the visitors after six minutes as West Ham once again started a game slowly. Did produce a good piece of defending against Grant to stop a dangerous attack. Horrendous mistake allowed Campbell to score Charlton’s second and make it 2-0 on 56 minutes.
Max Kilman: 5
Headed away Charlton’s first corner after only three minutes. Headed away for another corner as Charlton began the second half as they finished the first.
Ollie Scarles: 4
Got forward more than he has done recently but his early crosses lacked quality. Got back to make a good block on Grant after 12 minutes but conceded another corner. One of the biggest issues with Scarles is his lack of pace, which is a huge failing throughout the West Ham squad and, if we’re honest, has been an issue for some time. Some of his passing and crossing was very poor.
Mohamadou Kanté: 3
Really sloppy start to the game with poor first touches and some wayward passing. Had a wild shot but was miles off target.
Arne Engels: 4
All eyes on the £22m man from Celtic and he won an early free-kick. Got into a good position but shot tamely when he should have squared the ball. Lacked the X factor to really open up a well-organised defence. Better in the second half with Orford alongside him but a shocking first 45.
Engels had a West Ham debut to forget
Jarrod Bowen: 6
Had an early shot as he picked up the scraps following Piroe’s physical tussle with the Charlton defence. Isolated on the right and his only option was to cut in on his left foot. The Hammers looked devoid of leadership and character and needed more from their captain.
Managed to skin his marker and get a cross in at the beginning of the second half, then set up Taty who squandered the chance. Far more involved after the break and should have done better when Piroe played him in. Wonderful solo run almost produced a goal. West Ham were much better once the Hammers captain got the better of his marker, Bell.
Manor Solomon: 5
Looked lively but the visitors seemed happy to double up on him and allow Scarles possession and the opportunity to overlap. His shot forced the Hammers’ first corner.
Taty Castellanos: 3
Barely involved aside from an overhead effort which went wide. Deployed in front of Piroe, which seemed odd to say the least. Nuno should have reversed his strikers with Taty behind Piroe.
Taty did have a chance to equalise just before half-time but his tame header summed up the first half from the Hammers. Such a hothead. Headed Scarles’ cross just wide after 66 minutes. Booked for diving and deservedly so because West Ham were in a great position.
Missed a penalty to secure a point. Shocking.
Joel Piroe: 5
No supply and far too deep. Had a long shot from 25 yards but he was really playing as a No.10 in the first half. Having spent the past week watching his highlights from Leeds and Swansea, what Nuno asked him to do was completely alien to him.
Managed a decent shot on 60 minutes following good work from Solomon. Had the best chance of the game with a header from Bowen’s cross on 73 minutes but it was straight at the keeper. Scored moments later, following up a shot from Castellanos to make it 2-1 and give a glimmer of hope to the Hammers.
Substitutes
Lewis Orford: 6
On for Kanté at half-time, which was little surprise. That said, almost everyone who played in the first 45 deserved to be hooked. Immediately looked to play Solomon in behind the opposition defence.
Definitely improved things but such was the level of West Ham’s apathy and lack of direction from the touchline that it was hard to have any impact. Won West Ham a penalty in the 91st minute when Conor Coventry handballed.
Divin Mukasa: 5
Part of a double swap on 69 minutes for Scarles. Really unlucky not to make it 2-2 when he forced the keeper into a good save following good work from Bowen.
Joël Veltman: 6
On for Mavropanos as West Ham went to three in central defence.
In an earlier comment I gave Nuno until the new year before he was gone, I think at this rate it will be October!
Scarles and Kante aren’t good enough at this level, let alone the Prem. Scarles is having his second bite of the cherry at this point — we need a better option there. We looked significantly better on the front foot without them.
I’ve been pretty calm about Nuno up until this point, but he needs to go while there’s still a small portion of the window open. Koppen looks a shower too. But who can wield the axe?
The sight of Sullivan at the club today boiled my blood, no doubt gloating over what a shambles things are without him. Geezer-head Stavely has ruined the rebuild by trying to muscle in and pay over the odds for shares with money she doesn’t have. I, for one, do not welcome her at the club.
We’re a property investment to these people, and they’ll slowly tear us apart. We’ll languish in this league, if not fall further, while the jackals pick our bones.
Let’s not get carried away
It is only the 2nd league game
We are making opportunities and having lots of possession, it will come
But for my why did Bowen not take the penalty?
If that had gone in, who knows what could have happened
Never mind
Next game
Are you on the playing staff by any chance Sue?
Gonzo just got home Feel absolutely gutted after what I’ve just witnessed We just arnt good enough Our club from top to bottom is rotting away in front of our eyes The people in charge now are not capable and a disgrace to our club WEST HAM UNITED Just feel so upset and let down right now
You were close with your prediction Gonzo
For whatever reason, Kilman and Mavrapanos cannot work together. Scarles is lacking any initiative, does half his job then loses the plot. Bowen was no more than 3. He is still not a captain by any standards, though I don’t know who is in that team. Solomon, Orford and Engels showed some promise but need another 8 players to help out. The rest get 3 or less and are not worth talking about. Nuno has to go, but not to be replaced by another one of the usual failures. It is going to get worse before it gets better.
What a disaster. Too little, too late. Lack of surprise, lack of speed. Lack of ideas in the buildup play. Atackers in the box, too static. To crown it, Taty missed a penalty. Will we even make it to the playoffs? After two games it seems that scouting should have taken pkace rather in the Championship itself for players like Flemming and Campbell.