The trouble with West Ham United’s strategy of seeking to keep most of the squad and the manager following a destructive, damaging relegation campaign is that the mindset doesn’t shift and the club continues the next season where it left off last summer: With a beaten, negative, corrosive mindset.
That’s the claim from Sky Sports News this afternoon in their EFL show (“Are West Ham stuck in a losing mentality”) special featuring West Ham’s Championship predicament.
And West Ham fans would concur. The demeanour of their manager could not be more negative, stressed and obviously under pressure just two games into the season.
The opening statement makes it clear where West Ham are right now with the bulk of their squad still trying not to lose games rather than setting out to dominate the league.
“Its really hard to shake off that losing mentality….
“When you are being booed off at half time and at the final whistle, how much damage is that doing to the mentality of the side?”
Without natural leaders – the show mentions Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan, inspirational the last time West Ham were in the Championship – the Hammers are looking lost and out of the habit of winning games.
Instead of being strong enough and brave enough to go for it, West Ham are clearly stuck inside a mindset of seeking to avoid mistakes, as was evident by the endless five yard, tippy-tappy-going-nowhere passing on Saturday as each player couldn’t wait to be rid of the ball rather than take responsibility to make something happen.
It’s in the eyes…Jarrod Bowen already has the look of a haunted man
All of which comes from a place of fear, merely seeking to avoid mistakes and avoid defeats: A disaster waiting to happen in this League where the competition is so tough and every visiting side treats a trip to London Stadium as their own Cup Final.
Nathan Jones, Charlton’s victorious manager, highlighted the importance of his side starting aggressively and getting an early goal to take the sting out of the game and deflate the Hammers’ fragile mindset further.
Somehow Nuno has to find it within him to change the approach to games and remove the fear of mistakes and of losing itself. The games come thick and fast now with Watford awaiting at the weekend. There’s no hiding place for fragile egos right now and the question remains unanswered as to whether West Ham’s current head coach is going to be able to arrest the slide.
It was the same under Moyes and Allardyce these managers have a pattern, absorb pressure then react.
Or if they go ahead they immediately relinquish momentum.
It’s a bad strategy both ways in the modern game, you can find yourself as happens frequently 1 or 2 down before you kick into gear…
It’s better to go ahead and keep pressing that’s what every successful team does, you maximise the upside while minimising the risks if you are on the front foot, you have one way to play which simplifies the system because there isn’t a context switch from changing strategy mid game.
Nuno needs to watch the videos and read the comments instead of shrinking back into his shell after matches.
Says the same thing every time we need the fans and have to apologise.
No apologising is not what fans want to hear it’s results they want to see.
He needs to listen to people around him not continue with his blanketed ‘Im right all the time’.
How many times has he been told 4-4-2 is not working change formation.
Needs to give players some freedom to explore the pitch and take shackles off.
He isn’t. And the directors are more concerned with board matters to worry or change what is happening to WHUFC.
Who bring a defender on when you are losing 2-0