As the third goal went in yesterday, shoulders visibly sank around the players on the pitch as the home fans booed their efforts and the apparent ease in which second division sides are able to give West Ham the run around.
This, supposedly the strongest team in the Championship being humbled by a hard working West Brom after Southampton made the Irons look very ordinary seven days before.
It might not yet have reached the full-on crisis of a manager having irrevocably lost his dressing room, but West Ham fan and journalist Roshane Thomas has pinpointed what he sees as a squad rapidly losing investment in their manager’s success.
A precursor to disaster if Nuno’s squad no longer buy in to his ability to turn around their dismal record of conceding goals.
Report claims Bowen alone is invested in fighting for his manager
Writing in the NYTimes, Thomas pulls no punches with his article title:
“West Ham’s promotion campaign has unravelled. Is Nuno a dead man walking?”
“Nuno’s side remain horribly reliant upon Jarrod Bowen. He scored the equaliser against West Brom, but struggled to inspire another comeback once the visitors had restored their lead.
The winger had levelled matters up in the recent 1-1 draw against Queens Park Rangers, prompting the stadium announcer to boom: “Who else?” in recognition of his importance.
But who else is standing up to be counted?
Konstantinos Mavropanos is sidelined with a knee injury, while Mohamadou Kante, Divine Mukasa and Tomas Soucek have helped ease the offensive burden on Bowen. But Engels, Manor Solomon, Taty Castellanos and Pablo have not followed suit. Joel Piroe, a proven goalscorer in the Championship, has been limited to substitute appearances.”
Many have highlighted the dizzying array of combinations Nuno has used for his starting eleven – not once has he fielded the same eleven names on the team sheet in consecutive fixtures, unlike 17 of his Championship competitors – yet his intransigence over failing goal keeper Mads Hermansen’s place in the side, along with a refusal to bring back outcasts Alvarez and Magassa reeks of favouritism over pragmatism.
Which tells me what West Ham are getting from Nuno is not what is needed: Sticking to favourites, ignoring outcasts and endless fiddling around with starting players out of position is one easy way to test the patience of players in the dressing room.
As Thomas clearly points out. Once that happens, the exit door cannot be far away. The next two games ahead of the break are crucial for Nuno – and for the club.
Can’t say I blame them I wouldn’t want to work for someone that ignores me or doesn’t speak to me because he doesn’t like what i said or did when it upset him AHH Bless shame if the truth hurts he is a bald head whether he likes it or not OR he has snow white magic mirror
For me there is no doubt about it. Players do know and see the weaknesses in a team put out by a manager and I doubt they have any faith in his ever changing tactics nor trust in his ability.
Too many players out of position as well as wasted talent in the squad.
When you see Kante at no. 10 (a brilliant box-to-box midfielder) there are 2 problems. First you are depriving the team of a very good midfield defender who can also break forwards with the ball. Second, at the same time you weaken the team in attack because he is not fast nor very skillful. He simply is not built to be a no 10. It’s a double whammy!
Bowen is head down playing for his teammates and the club, but when a manager repeats the same mistakes as if in a loop going back to last season, it must be disheartening and demoralising for the majority of players. He does not stand up for them and on a pitch they are in straitjackets.