Category: Report

Risky Business: There’s No Reward as West Ham Discover the Price of Adventure at Blackburn

A new dawn but the same outcome as Scott Parker’s Hammers trade sluggish caution for costly chaos in their slide down the Championship Table

Hands up, the storming comeback at Cardiff had me well and truly fooled. Surely, it would be a comfortable victory at Ewood Park with a feast of free flowing football to enthuse over. A renaissance that would simultaneously raise our dampened spirits and lift the team back into the mix of Championship pace setters. Not for the first (or last) time I was left disappointed.

Scott Parker has been saying all the right words since his appointment last Wednesday. And mostly, they were in an order and delivered with a passion that we could understand and get behind. A far cry from Loppy’s baffling Spanglish, Potter’s HR doublespeak, and Nuno’s hollow platitudes.

Here was a man with a vision. Conjuring up images of fast starts, high tempos, hard work, front foot football, taking risks, passing, movement, and running with the ball at pace. The West Ham way redefined.

To the sceptic, this might appear at odds with his record at previous clubs. But innocent until proven guilty in my book. We’ve heard the sizzle, now show us the sausage.

Naturally, all new coaches need time. Unfortunately, time is a luxury that is in short supply where a rapid return to the Premier League is the overwhelming imperative. Especially with a squad left traumatised by a year’s worth of Nuno nonsense.

Parker’s inaugural team selection comprised ten of the players who started the second half at Cardiff with Edvin Austbo replacing Manor Solomon. There was also a minor formation adjustment to 4-1-4-1 with Arne Engels as lone patrol in front of the back four. One enduring riddle persisted: how after 14 games of mishap, mishandling and hesitancy, has Mads Hermansen continued to snaffle the keeper’s jersey.

It is fair to say the Hammers came out of the traps flying. An unexpected tempo and intensity that had Blackburn pinned way back in their own half for the opening ten minutes or so. Although the hosts gained more of a foothold as West Ham took their foot off the gas, the visitors continued to dominate first half possession. Yet despite that dominance and a succession of corner kicks, few clear cut chances were created. The highlight being Divine Mukasa’s quick feet and shot that required a smart save from the Rovers’ keeper. Otherwise, goal threats were minimal in a scoreless 45 minutes which provided the Hammers with a rare clean sheet at the break.

The second period began in much the same vein as the first. A double chance for Joel Piroe and Mo Kante, a Jarrod Bowen header that struck a post and an Engels drive that flashed just wide. A promising start until disaster struck a minute later and shattered the gameplan. Ezra Mayers who had a fine game – so puzzling that he has been overlooked in favour of Morata and Ollie Scarles – tried to be too clever when challenging Fevrier in the Blackburn half as last defender. West Ham had committed bodies forward, but the winger still had plenty to do. By the time the cross came in, seven West Ham players were back in the area. Inexplicably, none felt it necessary to track the run of Blackburn’s top scorer and the deadlock was broken.

Against the run of play, the goal demonstrated the flipside to taking risks. We want the rewards that it brings but there are also penalties. Personally, I’m open to a little risk taking but to make it work, requires being clinical in attack and ruthless in defence. But I’ll take it over the excessive caution of the last four or five years any day.

Blackburn took confidence from their lead and rather than sitting back were more adventurous going forward. Their lead was doubled on 70 minutes. Outmuscled in a challenge, Max Kilman feigned a head injury, Engels protested the challenge rather than playing to whistle, and Mads decided not to bother trying to stop the goal bound effort – scored by one time Hammer, Afolayan. Shoot and you will score is fast becoming the keeper’s motto. Without doubt, a feeble effort all round.

Piroe eventually fired home to reduce the deficit with ten minutes remaining but there was to be no miraculous comeback on this occasion. Parker’s substitutions which had worked so well at Cardiff served only to make things worse at Blackburn. Solomon was anonymous and Tomas Soucek and Lewis Orford dithered as if they had all the time in the world.

We had become all too familiar with Nuno’s chaotic late panic when chasing goals late in the game. Throw on as many tall people as you can and remove any hint of creativity that had previously been on the pitch. The balance between urgency and composure in such situations is a delicate one. Over composure as frustration as blind urgency. It’s not the time for passive possession and taking that extra touch to ensure your passing stats remain impressive. It’s time to get the ball into the final third as quickly as possible but remain composed to create genuine openings, not rely on low-probability pot shots.

In the end, time ran out. The best opportunity was a Soucek header which was unfortunately too close to the keeper. A fourth game without a win and down to ninth in the league. Miraculously though, still only six points behind the leaders.

For a change, the international break comes as a welcome interlude. An opportunity to iron out the tactical and formation issues that continue to haunt the squad. While we saw flashes of an improved mindset in the last two games, the balance of the team still looks wrong.

Areola in place of Hermansen is a no brainer. Would Morata bring greater strength and resilience at centre back? The striker imbroglio is no closer to being fixed than it has at any other time in the last ten years or so. For now, Piroe looks to be the best of a not very prolific bunch. He’s not the type to create his own chances though and requires better service if he is to repeat his previous Championship numbers. That means wide men allowed to weave their magic higher up the pitch with reduced defensive responsibilities. Too often they (Solomon and Austbo) are cutting inside just over the halfway line where there’s nowhere to go other than backwards.

For this to happen, the remainder of the midfield needs structure and reliability. Protecting central defence, supporting the full-backs and moving the ball quickly to instigate attacks. One defensive midfield specialist, one box to box player, and one creative force. Ideally for me, it starts with Edson Alvarez or Soungoutou Magassa back at its base, Engels alongside and one of Mukasa and Kante further forward. Mukasa and Kante both have something to offer but together they are a luxury in an environment of defensive fragility.

Much work to be done then on the Rush Green training ground before West Ham entertain bottom of the table Preston North End on 21 November. As far as I know, the following players will be away on international duty and will be unable to take part: Mavropanos, Soucek, Piroe, Kante, Mukasa, Golambeckis, Hermansen, Solomon and Austbo.

Just two weeks to ensure the players are individually and collectively fit to wear the shirt. COYI!

From Cardiff Chaos to Parker Promise: Now West Ham Must Build on the Fightback

If ever a football match deserved to be described as the archetypal game of two halves, West Ham’s extraordinary 3-3 draw at Cardiff on Wednesday night was surely it. Forty-five minutes of despair were followed by forty-five minutes which might, just might, prove to be the beginning of something rather more encouraging.

Scott Parker could hardly have experienced a more dramatic return to the club. Appointed only in the morning of the game, barely 24 hours after Nuno Espírito Santo’s departure, Parker watched his new team disappear down the tunnel at half-time three goals behind. Jack Moylan had completed a hat-trick inside 39 minutes and a sizeable travelling support had made its feelings painfully clear. For supporters who had watched home defeats against Southampton and West Brom bring an end to Nuno’s reign, it must have felt like more of the same. Indeed, angry travelling supporters were chanting that the players were “not fit to wear the shirt”. I’m not sure if that was intended to mean all of them or some in particular. At that stage you wondered what exactly Parker had let himself in for. But by the end of the game, you wondered whether we had witnessed the first small spark of a revival.

There was precious little in West Ham’s opening 45 minutes to suggest what was coming later. Moylan opened the scoring after 11 minutes, given the space to advance before producing an unstoppable 20-yard finish. Things unravelled spectacularly late in the half. Morato was caught on the wrong side, not for the first time, and conceded a penalty which Moylan converted in the 37th minute. Does Hermansen ever look like he is going to save a penalty? He always looks resigned to conceding a goal even before the kick is taken. Only two minutes later the Cardiff midfielder / striker completed his hat-trick with a header from Joel Bagan’s corner.

Parker had begun his new job at nine o’clock that morning and admitted afterwards that he had met the players for the first time then. He therefore had virtually no opportunity to influence the preparation. But at half-time he finally had their undivided attention. Apparently, according to Arne Engels, he was, not surprisingly, a very angry manager.

And suddenly everything changed. Perhaps we shouldn’t romanticise half-time team talks too much, because Parker himself stressed there were tactical instructions involved. He said West Ham needed to be more aggressive without the ball, become more front-footed and take greater risks, and he backed that with immediate action.

Joël Piroe, Mohamadou Kanté and Ezra Mayers were introduced at the interval, replacing the ineffectual Taty, clearly not match-fit Magassa, and never a left-back in a million years Morato, and the difference in attitude was immediately apparent. West Ham began playing with urgency. Cardiff, so comfortable before the break, were suddenly being pushed backwards.

There is, however, a delicious historical comparison here. In February 2011, Parker famously helped inspire a West Ham side trailing 3-0 at half-time at West Bromwich Albion to recover and draw 3-3. Nearly 16 years later, in his first match as West Ham’s head coach, he somehow found himself in almost exactly the same situation. You really couldn’t make it up as whatever Parker said at half-time it worked.

Jarrod Bowen created the opening for Divine Mukasa, who delicately lifted the ball over ex- West Ham keeper Nathan Trott in the 58th minute. Suddenly 3-0 became 3-1 and Cardiff had something to think about. Seven minutes later Arne Engels scored his first West Ham goal to make it 3-2, and they really had something to think about as West Ham turned up the pressure. Now there was only one team with the momentum. With eight minutes of normal time remaining, Maximilian Kilman completed an astonishing comeback. Three-nil down at half-time. Three-three with eight minutes remaining. By then, wonderfully, we were probably disappointed not to win it.

We shouldn’t get carried away. Parker will know better than anyone that a team with genuine promotion ambitions cannot keep giving opponents three-goal starts. There are still obvious defensive problems to address and the alarming passive nature of that opening period cannot simply be forgotten because of what followed. But football is about confidence as much as formations and tactics. A 3-3 draw after leading 3-0 feels like a defeat. A 3-3 draw after trailing 3-0 feels suspiciously like a victory.

West Ham finished Wednesday night eighth, occupying the final play-off position, so despite the recent turbulence the season remains very much alive. Only six points separate the top 10 clubs in what is a very competitive division. More importantly, Parker has already learned something about his squad and that is they haven’t given up. And they discovered something about him too. When things went horribly wrong, their new manager didn’t hide. He changed personnel, altered the approach and demanded greater aggression. It was quite an introduction. The substitutions were timely and appropriate, unlike those made by his predecessor. Personally I would have liked to see Austbo also introduced at half time to replace Solomon but that was another beneficial change that he made in the second half.

There isn’t much time for Parker to enjoy it. West Ham are back on the road on Saturday, travelling to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers in a 3pm Championship kick-off. Blackburn provide a fascinating test because their home form deserves respect. West Ham, though, have reasons for travelling north with confidence of our own. Our away record has been one of the more encouraging aspects of the season, and the fighting spirit shown at Cardiff should send the players into the Blackburn match feeling very different from the way they entered the Cardiff dressing room at half-time. Incredibly we are still undefeated away from home this season despite two particularly woeful first half performances at Millwall and Cardiff.

There are dangers. Andri Gudjohnsen has been Blackburn’s principal goalscorer, and one of the leading goalscorers in the Championship, while Todd Cantwell is another player West Ham cannot afford to allow too much freedom. But this match is really about us. Parker has had virtually no time to coach this squad. His first match arrived on the same day he took the job. Now he has another game barely three days later. We therefore shouldn’t expect a tactical revolution overnight, but what we can expect is a reaction.

Parker talked upon his appointment about the need for consistency. That is surely the key word now. The spirit and aggression of Cardiff’s second half cannot be something we produce only when three goals down and humiliation is staring us in the face. It needs to be there from the first whistle at Blackburn.

Turn up at Ewood Park playing like the West Ham of Cardiff’s first half and we could be in trouble. Turn up playing like the West Ham of Cardiff’s second half and there is no reason why we shouldn’t come home with all three points. And wouldn’t it be nice, just for once, if we could achieve it without having to come back from three goals down first? Wouldn’t it be nice to take an early lead for once?

Scott Parker’s West Ham are underway. He was a superb player for us and I hope he can be equally as good at the helm. He comes with the reputation of playing dour defensive football, but with a successful three promotions from the Championship behind him, but also with little success in the top flight. Was that totally down to him or the resources at his disposal? After 45 minutes in Cardiff the new era appeared to have begun with disaster. After 90, it felt rather more like hope. Now comes the important part which is proving that the remarkable second half wasn’t simply a comeback, but the first glimpse of what the new manager intends West Ham to become. A much better appointment than Lopetegui, Potter or Nuno I reckon. Give the man I chance.

We all see games differently but for what it’s worth my ratings below are based on how I saw the performances of our players in the game.

Hermansen 5, Veltman 5.5, Mavropanos 6.5, Kilman 6.5, Morato 2, Magassa 5, Engels 7.5, Mukasa 7.5, Bowen 8.5, Taty 1, Solomon 3. Subs. Mayers 7, Kante 7, Piroe 6.5, Austbo 7, Soucek (not long enough)

Unexpected Items In the Baggies Area: Nuno’s West Ham Are Worse Than Abysmal

A second successive home league defeat to promotion rivals sees the Hammers drop out of the top six and raises huge questions about their promotion credentials. Decisive action will be needed to stop the rot.

A second successive home defeat sent West Ham tumbling to eighth place in the standings as the Championship table begins to sort itself out after Matchweek 13. The days of teams finding their feet and getting settled to a new environment are well behind us, and by the time the international break comes around next week, the season will be one-third completed.

Three teams currently trend above the two points per game (ppg) target typically required for automatic promotion (if you allow for Southampton’s four-point penalty). West Ham are not one of those teams. Instead, they are floundering on 1.69 ppg and might well be grateful that six teams make it into the play-offs nowadays rather than the usual four. Points wise, they are closer to the bottom half than to automatic promotion.

Saturday was another case of same old, same old from Nuno and the team. The usual pre-match platitudes followed by a handful of superficial changes to the starting eleven. Pablo and Austbo preferred to Taty and Solomon in like for like swaps at striker and left sided midfield. And Golambeckis replacing the absent Mavropanos in a move that surprised a lot of people. The excitement of a youngster given an opportunity tempered by the knowledge that it would be Kilman alongside him as mentor. Like taking flying lessons from a blind man. It may be hindsight, but moving Morato into the centre might have made more sense – given he’s certainly no left back.

Other than that, Nuno was not to be swayed from his stubborn insistence on the suitability of an archaic 4-4-2 formation. Or from the certainty that all shortcomings are the result of individual errors and not the system’s underlying flaws. On this occasion though he was facing an opponent setup in a similar fashion. Perhaps we wouldn’t be overrun in midfield for a change.

The question on most fan’s minds was whether it would be yet another slow start from the Hammers. The opening exchanges were encouraging but the energy that saw a corner won in the opening 30 seconds and an incisive Austbo run down the left ten minutes later eventually fizzled out into indifference.

A minor adjustment had been made to the West Ham press from the last successful Pablo and Kante outing at Swansea. Kante was dropping into deeper positions in the expectation that Bowen and Austbo would share pressing duties with Pablo. Fine in principle had it been well drilled, but in practice, it lacked a cohesion. Something that was fully apparent in the simplicity of the Baggies opening goal.

An Albion defender drew an initially reluctant Pablo towards him. One simple forward pass to a colleague in acres of space broke the press completely. From there, a further quick pass in the space between centre and left backs split the Hammers defence wide open. The attacker was free, worked out his angles and the rest, as they say, was geometry.

To their credit, the Hammers clawed themselves level within ten minutes. Kante getting the ‘assist’ credit with a smart pass to Bowen, but the goal was more the result of the skipper’s individual opportunism (and suspect positioning by the Albion keeper) than it was to West Ham carving open the Albion defence. A seventh league goal of the season for Bowen.

Level at the break was not a bad position to be in for a second half team. No need for half-time changes on this occasion. An inspirational dressing room team talk, and the three points would be as good as in the bag.

That illusion didn’t last long. Three minutes in, a cross is allowed to come in from the left, no defenders attack the ball, some stand and watch – and it is 1-2.

This time no rapid West Ham response is forthcoming. Attacks are symbolic; frequent touches in the opposition box but not a single big chance created. Nuno sets the random substitution generator into operation, but the game’s equilibrium is undisturbed.

On 72 minutes the outcome is assured. A corner from the left, keeper frozen to his line, opportunities to clear forsaken, a shot from the edge of the box evading Hermansen and settling into the back of the net. Game over.

It is often argued that West Ham have the strongest squad in the Championship. It’s a subjective claim and the table would beg to differ. What is almost certainly true, however, is that it is the most expensively assembled and highest paid. And with the highest paid manager in the division directing them.

Nuno is no newbie at West Ham. Someone still needing time to educate players in the intricacies of his revolutionary methods. He’s a veteran of over 50 games and still nobody can pick out any identity or personality in the way he wants or intends to play. If he understands it himself, he certainly hasn’t convinced the players. Trying the same thing over and over again and wondering why it fails so frequently is not a strategy.

The one mitigating factor is that recruitment at the London Stadium has a long history of lurching from haphazard and disjointed to expedient. A squad assembled with no direction or plan in mind. But it is the manager’s responsibility to get the best out of the resources available. Nuno is clearly not doing that – or even attempting to in some cases. While some notable aspects of the squad’s shortcomings require reinforcements, others already have better alternatives on the sidelines – but are snubbed due the manager’s thin-skinned ego. Nowhere is this more obvious than goalkeeper and defensive midfield.

There is a stat going around on the internet that since joining West Ham Hermansen has not finished a single match with a positive goals-prevented figure – calculated as the number of goals a keeper conceded to the number of goals they should have conceded based on the quality and placement of shots on target. How shocking is that? Essentially, Hermansen is about as effective as one of those tube men you see air dancing outside a discount furniture warehouse.

The rationale for his inclusion is that he is superior to Areola with the ball at his feet. Never mind this has little value in a team incapable of playing the ball through the lines and eventually resort to long balls anyway.

Saturday’s fixture provided an interesting contrast as to how each team executed their defensive midfield duties. The Albion pair were disciplined and patrolled diligently in front of their centre backs. At the other end, Engels and Mukasa were regularly drawn out to cover the full-backs leaving large open gaps through the centre. And this with a defence that needs all the protection it can get.

Neither Engels nor Mukasa are natural defensive midfielders. Engels should be deployed box to box; Mukasa further forward. The obvious solution (to me) would be to pair either Alvarez or Magassa with Engels and for Mukasa to be competing with Kante for the attacking midfield role.

I’m guessing Nuno has greater access to stats and heatmaps than those I can access for free on the internet – so all this should be no surprise to him. His failure to act can only be put down to the intransigence of a man whose decisions are taken for reasons of personal satisfaction rather than in the interests of West Ham United.

We can only speculate what the owners make of all this – assuming there is anyone paying attention to the day to day running of the club. What do they see when they look at Nuno – a competent leader capable of building for the future? Or the imposter lacking in tactical acumen, man management skills, motivation, match preparation and in-game decisions that the rest of us see?

Never in the history of “x games to save their job” has a manager ever truly turned things around. A temporary reprieve is the best it can get. Can anyone look at Nuno’s West Ham record and conclude he is fit for purpose – either for now or for the future. Nuno must go! Do the right thing board members, you know it makes sense. COYI!

The Wheels Fall Off Nuno’s West Ham Bus As The Saints March On With All Three Points

When William Shakespeare wrote “expectation is the root of all heartache” he could easily be talking about life as a West Ham fan. But even Shakespeare would have abandoned the discredited 4-4-2 formation by now.

All good things must come to an end, they say. And the same applies equally to bang average things where you have somehow managed to snaffle points despite competing for only half the game most weeks. On this occasion, West Ham’s nine match unbeaten Championship run coming to an end in an act of self-harm against a not especially impressive Southampton side.

Nuno has often made the point about hours put in on the training ground to fix those parts of our game that haven’t been working well. If we are to believe that, then either he doesn’t see the timid, slow starts to games as a problem, or he has no solution to fix it. This despite every Hammers supporter in the world having identified it as our greatest weakness. Just ahead of archaic formation, players played out of position and team selections based on the manager’s ego rather than in the interests of West Ham United.

The more I see of Nuno, the more I see a man completely unsuited to the task of football management. At least that is how he comes across – fragile ego, poor communicator and limited tactical nous. A coach who is incapable of reading the game and adjusting his approach accordingly.

It is puzzling to look back at his periods of relative success at Wolves and Forest and wonder how that happened. Was it mostly down to luck? The happenstance of the right players coming along at the right time? Shades of Bilic with Payet and Moyes with Rice. To misquote Hanlon’s Razor: Never ascribe to great management that which is adequately explained by good fortune.

When you see other managers on televised games, they are either earnestly studying each pass, move and transition or else living every shot, pass and tackle on the touchline. Then there’s our guy. A man with the look of someone who had been out walking his dog in the park and stopped for a few minutes to watch a game. Only Nuno had managed to lose his spaniel as well.

What other explanation can we put the repeated slow starts down to other than team orders from the management. What is it now, 11 of the 15 league goals conceded coming before the half-time substitutions? It could also be poor preparation and a lack of motivation, I suppose. It is hard to imagine anyone being inspired or motivated by a repetitive Nuno team talk.

Team selection for Saturday had no real surprises. Kyle Walker-Peters came in for the presumably injured Joel Veltman and in a rotation of goal-shy strikers Taty replaced Pablo. Otherwise, it was again the same 4-4-2 formation last seen on Match of the Day circa 2004. Conceived in an emergency during the latter stages of last season’s failed relegation fight, Nuno is stubbornly sticking to it in a one-man campaign to have it recognised as a heritage artifact. Never mind that every other manager has abandoned it, that it creates frequent midfield overloads and that elsewhere coaches have opted for fluidity over rigidity.

The situation is aggravated at West Ham by Nuno’s refusal to play a specialist defensive midfielder. Someone whose brief is to break down attacks and protect a back four who need all the help they can get. Although Alvarez and Magassa might usefully fulfil that role, they are both frozen out by the manager’s obstinacy. Loathe to consider those he has fallen out with. Is it not a dereliction of duty to sideline players for strictly personal reasons?

The demands of the chosen formation similarly limit the effectiveness of the wide players who ideally should be the Hammers primary attacking threat. Asked to do too much work across too much distance, they are regularly required to drop deep in support their fullbacks. I’m yet to be convinced by Solomon but he and Bowen should be doing the lion’s share of their work in the final third.

All three Southampton goals were supported by the Hammer’s generosity with midfield space – and assisted by two of the team’s greatest weaknesses – goalkeeper and central defence. Hermansen is a below average keeper, especially galling when there is better on the bench. Clearly Areola is another who has ended up on the wrong side of gaffer. The central defender partnership of Kilman and Mavropanos has long looked suspect with the former taking most of the responsibility for me. Slow motion through our goals against and invariably you’ll find Max spectating and shrugging his shoulders a safe distance away from the action areas.

West Ham ramped up 28 goal attempts and a staggering (for us) 52 touches in the opposition box on Saturday. It is tempting to conclude that on a different day we might have scored six or seven. Yet very few clear-cut chances were created and there were rarely sufficient numbers in the box ready to capitalise. And when shots hit the target, Peretz comfortably demonstrated what a difference a brave, competent keeper can make.

Inevitably, Nuno was forced to yet again make changes from the bench. The half-time change was unexpected – some might say unnecessary, but Scarles looked OK when he came on – as I’d anticipated the ineffective Taty and Solomon would be the ones hauled off. As one commentator put it, if Taty’s not getting caught offside or committing a foul, you wouldn’t know he was there. His presence meant the energetic high press from the Swansea game did not materialise.

The substitutions became more frantic and difficult to comprehend as the game progressed. By the end there was no discernible pattern or purpose to the Hammer’s play. Just put six up front and hope for the best, even though you’ve already taken off any hope of creativity that existed. I can’t think of any circumstances that would justify Taty, Pablo and Piroe being on the pitch together at the same time.

Away from the real action, what a diabolical refereeing performance that was from Michael Salisbury. It’s difficult to be objective with referees when they are officiating your own side, but his calls were more than head scratching. Typically, there is a negative correlation between ball possession and fouls committed (teams with less possession generally commit more fouls) yet Salisbury penalised the Hammers 16 times to the Saints 7.

The one minor positive from the weekend was clinging on to third place. Although now only two points separate West Ham from the side in ninth place.

However, the fundamental problem is that the managerial situation is hugely frustration. Nuno is not the man for the job. Perhaps he will eventually get us promoted one way or the other – although I have strong doubts that he can. But what is crystal clear is that we would be doomed to failure if he was again at the helm in the Premier League. COYI!

Sinking the Swans: Mukasa’s Sweet Strike Sends West Ham Back Into the Top Two

Two West Ham wins in a week have wiped away the memory of disappointing draws with Millwall and QPR. Although not yet impressing, do they now have a sense of momentum?

While in still feels like the season has only just begun, the reality is we are one more half of football away from reaching 25% complete. The initial blather about marathons and sprints is behind us and the table is starting to take shape. Earlier suspicions of team strength have been confirmed and it’s becoming clear who the main rivals at the top are likely to be – Swansea, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, West Bromwich Albion, Wolves and Southampton. Throw in the Hammers and it’s any two from seven for automatic promotion.

The bountiful autumn harvest of six points from two games on the road – with seven goals scored and none conceded – was a perfect week for Nuno’s Hammers. After disappointing derby draws against Millwall and QPR, they find themselves back in the top two and right on track for the two points per game target. Perhaps it will be a season of mellow fruitfulness after all.

At the same stage last season, Coventry topped the table with 26 points. Ipswich were several places back on 20 while Middlesbrough (24) and Millwall (23) would have considered themselves well placed. Eventual play-off winners were trailing on 18. Nothing can be taken for granted.

A breakdown of West Ham’s games to date shows that, of the eleven opponents faced, seven are currently in the bottom half of the table and four in the top half. Regardless of position, the average points haul per game has been the same for both groups. Of the potential promotion rivals, the Hammers have now played Wolves and Swansea – and won them both in games where they were happy to concede possession. Will the trend be extended into the next two crucial home fixtures against Saints and the Albion?

There’s a school of football management across the ages for whom a 1-0 away win against a title rival is about as good as it could possibly get. An opportunity for a moment’s reflection, to bask in the glory of their own tactical genius. An excuse to uncork a bottle of the finest burgundy and savour a slow, thick, velvety draw on an expensive Cuban Cohiba cigar. I imagine Nuno as an acolyte of that school. Saturday’s win at Swansea carefully catalogued in his mental scrapbook of greatest managerial moments.

The weekend’s fixture was West Ham’s first trip to Swansea since the ground was exotically re-branded as the Swansea.com stadium. Is it true that visitors must correctly select all the squares with traffic lights before gaining entry through the turnstiles?

The game was as cagey as all top of the table clashes invariably turn out. In theory a mouthwatering showdown, but in practice the fear of losing typically putting a damper on entertainment. Opposing managers seeing no shame in a dour drawn game in such circumstances.

Nuno made just one change from the side that had started at Lincoln, with Divine Mukasa replacing Joel Piroe. It suggested a change of formation to 4-3-3 prior to kick-off but that wasn’t to be as Mo Kante was pushed forward into the space behind Pablo. As a high pressing force, it was possibly the most effective pairing we have seen so far. Both players seemingly tasked with giving everything they have for the first hour. The two combined in the build up to the game’s only goal when Mukasa calmly steered home Kante’s cross with the very first shot of the game on 34 minutes.

Kante continues to show a lot of promise making good forward runs and with potential to do the unexpected. Pablo, on the other hand, continues to move in mysterious that are difficult to fathom. Well below par on individual contribution with the ball at his feet, but an unknowable, enigmatic influence on the team as a whole.

A huge contradiction exists in the Hammers goalscoring record. The league’s top scorers by some distance but with the three ‘specialist’ strikers contributing just five of the 30 goals. Makes you wonder what could be achieved with a half decent poacher in the mix?

Swansea eventually came to life after the goal but had little cutting edge. Their record of 16 goals from 11 games is not impressive and may well be the Achilles heel of any promotion push. In the main, the Hammer’s defence dealt comfortably with home side’s attacking threat, although Swansea’s best scoring opportunities came as the result of West Ham lapses rather than through well-worked openings. Still, two clean sheets in a week are not to be sniffed at and the presence of Joel Veltman and Morato provides much needed stability to the backline.

It was interesting that Mads Hermansen had no saves to make in the entire game – thanks in part to poor Swansea finishing and to the intervention of the crossbar. It could be said the Hammers rode their luck at times, but they also carved out the better scoring opportunities.  Swansea grateful to their keeper for making a handful of excellent stops to keep the West Ham lead down to one goal.

With the withdrawal of Pablo and Kante the high press fizzled out, and West Ham retreated deeper into their own half. It’s not a proper West Ham game without a nervous finale and anxiety over the number of added minutes. Fortunately, the boys held on to cut Swansea’s lead at the top of the table to a single point.

It was a competent West Ham performance more than anything else. Neither commanding nor spectacular but it got the job done. Neither was it the West Ham performance of two halves that we have come to expect for the past year or so. No heights were reached but the team remained competitive for most of the 90 minutes.

With Nuno choosing not to field a natural defensive midfielder – due to the ongoing shunning of Alverez and Magassa – special mention should be given to Arne Engels. He has been the unsung hero in his contributions to the team’s efforts in a less than glamourous holding role. Committed, proficient passer, high work-rate and decent set piece delivery. My pick as the next penalty taker.

The next two home games which come at the leisurely pace of one game per week will confirm or otherwise just how convincing promotion credentials are. Let’s hope they are up for the challenge. COYI!

Friday Night Takeaways: Lights, Cameras But Precious Little West Ham Action

A three week break, a send-off for Ludo, a London derby, and a full-house under the east end lights were not enough to shake Nuno’s Hammers out of their trademark cautious and slow start to a game

Busy Saying Nothing

I wouldn’t normally watch a pre-match press conference except that the international break wilderness left me desperately needing a fix of West Ham related content. No surprise though that it was again a waste of everyone’s time. The whole process is a charade. If a manger has something smart or insightful to say about an upcoming game, he’s not going to tell the whole world about it in advance. And it must be the shortest of short straws for a reporter having to travel across London knowing that any probing question will be stonewalled by a low block of pointless platitudes: “working hard”, “trained well this week”, “no easy games in this league”, “we’re not where we need to be yet”.   

A handout of current injury and fitness updates would quite easily do the job.

Nuno’s major revelation was that the players had been exhausted from playing 11 games in the opening 42 days of the season. A cynic might question whether that should be 11 halves of games as his team are rarely competitive over a full 90 minutes. But nobody asked that question. Still, he assured us ‘the group’ had made good use of the time and had been focusing on all the things that hadn’t been working well – but not slow starts apparently.

The Academy of Slow Starts

I’ve never been a fan of Friday night games. The build-up, anticipation and then following West Ham games has forever been the weekend anchor that the rest of life revolves around. Playing your game before it has really started renders everything else lopsided. Like having dessert before your starter or opening your presents on Christmas Eve.  

On the other hand, evening games under the lights will often generate the kind of magic that even had Nuno’s eyes light up in the presser. Obvious then that returning from a three-week break, faced with a London derby, in a packed floodlit stadium, the Hammers would start the game with all guns blazing. How wrong could we be?

The mother of all shameful statistics from Friday was that West Ham managed a meagre two shots in the opening 70 minutes – both well off target. And not a single shot between the 28th and 70th minutes. How can that be in a passage of play when you are already a goal down – no matter how terrible that penalty decision was?

Weirdly, this is not a new phenomenon. Its roots can be traced back through all the ages of the dinosaurs. From the late Moyesozoic era, through the lesser Lopeteguian and Potterian epochs and into the current Nunolithic age. Periods of great upheaval, tectonic friction, shifting tactical plates and complex mutations. But precious little progress in terms of forward movement or attacking lifeforms. A succession of cautious coaches inhibited by an evolutionary refusal to take risks.

The result is a team which is rarely on the front foot. Wracked with caution. Waiting to react to the mistakes of others rather than making their own things happen. Fearing mistakes and wanting to gauge opponents before daring to act. To the outsider or newcomers, this is the game we now play. It has been baked into the clubs DNA like a hereditary disease – the new West Ham way. And just as it was impossible to draw our way to survival last season, it will be a lost cause this time around for automatic promotion. How Nuno managed it at Wolves is increasingly puzzling.

Split Personality

Three weeks of planning and preparation and the best the manager could come up with was the return of Tomas Soucek. No-one can dislike big Tom. His commitment and effort are second to none. But he cannot be part of any midfield hoping to dominate games. The Championship may lack the technical execution of the Premier League and the first touches maybe far heavier. But teams are packed with athletic, fast and strong players. Soucek is too one paced to prosper in that environment. Without doubt he can be useful in both boxes but is unfortunately a passenger in between. Very useful to have on the bench, not as a starter.   

By no means was Friday’s poor showing all down to Tom.  Or any other individual player come to that. When a team only performs in one half of a game and where you ae regularly forced into making half-time substitutions it has to be down to preparation.

Nuno has one of the best – if not the best – squad in the league yet he seems not to know how to use it or what the team’s identity is meant to be. The playing style lacks consistency or cohesion, communication and leadership are in short supply and mental resilience is flimsy.

Whether these repeated failings are primarily down to the manager or to the players is a reasonable debate to have. After all, we only get to see the results played out on the pitch. For me, in the micro-managed world of modern football, it’s the gaffer who must carry the can. We’ve already seen this season how less talented opponents have used motivation and energy to outplay our more illustrious stars. This forms part of a team’s culture and always starts from the top. Successful teams have players who buy into the manager’s plan and understand their individual parts in executing it. It’s not currently happening under Nuno’s watch.  

The Season Pointathon Update

A second successive draw made it a total of 11 points dropped in the league so far. The haul of 16 points from nine matches averages out at 1.78 points per game (ppg). Assuming the end of season automatic promotion target is 92 points (or 2 points per game) this leaves West Ham off the pace requiring a revised ppg until season end of is 2.05. Eminently achievable in theory but not with Nuno’s current game plan.

From what we have seen, the challenge of the Championship is intensity, not quality. This is where we are lacking and what needs to address urgently.

Ironically, if the players had been practising their last-minute penalties properly, we might still be unbeaten and three points better off by now. Not really deserved but fine margins, I suppose.

Outlook Changeable

Well done to Nuno for winning the September Manager of the Month award. As long as he understands it was for results rather than the nature of the performances that sat behind them. Success in football invariably drowns out all other noises but only the rosiest of claret and blue filters could disguise the reality of how much room for improvement exists.

Apart from the questionable tactics, Nuno’s management style – which feels churlish to me but is usually perceived as uncommunicative – is a huge worry.

His job is to do the best for West Ham using all the resources available to him. If there is conflict or he has difficult players to deal with, then it is his responsibility to resolve matters and extract the required levels of performances, even if he doesn’t get along with certain individuals. Ignoring players or freezing them out for the sake of his personal comfort or hurt feelings is not acceptable.    

This behaviour is not unique to his time at West Ham and has followed him from club to club. His current refusal to use Alvarez or Magassa when the team is crying out for a specialist defensive midfield player should by itself be a sackable offence. Let’s see what happens on Wednesday as the circus moves on to Sincil Bank – or the ProAmpac Stadium to give it its full title – Google Rating 4.4ì “Beer prices are fair, with some quality ones”.

The last time West Ham played Lincoln City in the league was during the Hammers 1957/58 Division Two promotion season. The game in December 1957 ending: Lincoln 1 West Ham 6. A repeat would be most welcome.

The Imps have yet to win a home game this season (drawn two, lost two) but have won three times on their travels to sit mid-table with 11 points from nine games.

COYI!

Inspired Substitutions Rescue Jammy Hammers In Docker Shocker

A late revival earned West Ham an unlikely share of the spoils in Saturday’s much hyped Dockers Derby. Once again, poor preparation requiring changes to formation and personnel at half-time.

The Den London SE16. Saturday 19 September 2026 12:30 PM. Mostly Cloudy 19C

Pre-Match

I have a confession to make. I don’t have any stronger feelings about Millwall than I do about most of our other London rivals. I know in some supporter’s eyes that means I’m not ‘proper West Ham’, but I can’t concoct an animosity that is not truly felt. Fair enough there are those from a different ‘manor’ who have lived different experiences but for me the rivalry has been over- egged for the sake of media content.

The south Londoners barely registered on my personal radar of a West Ham fan growing up in the suburban badlands between east London and Essex. If I had ever encountered a Millwall fan, they never took the opportunity to reveal themselves. And having attended my first game at the Boleyn in 1961, it would be another 17 years before we finally got around to playing them. Even now, we have only played them 15 or 16 times in my supporting lifetime.

Scarily, things could easily have turned out quite differently. With a father born in Stratford and a mother born in Bermondsey, I am forever grateful that natural selection ensures football allegiances are passed down exclusively through paternal genes. Saving me from a lifetime of caravans, railway arches and gold signet rings.

None of that takes anything away from the importance of the game. A London derby that must be won and approached with pride and commitment. And against an opponent who will see this game as their cup final.

Teams

No surprise that Nuno has named the same eleven which started against Wrexham apart from the one injury forced change, Kyle Walker-Peters replacing Joel Veltman at right back. Sticking with a winning team is a common mantra in football and one that Nuno follows religiously. Just as he will persevere with his fixated 4-4-2 formation until something goes disastrously wrong.

As for Millwall, they come into the game with a lengthy injury list. On paper that is promising for West Ham perspective although history reminds us that this is not always the case.

Just to gauge the gap in the financial resources of the two clubs. In the last published accounts, West Ham’s revenues were £226 million, Millwall’s £23.9 million. Even allowing for the relegation income penalty facing the Hammers that is quite a difference. And illustrates what an achievement it was for the Lions to be challenging for promotion last season on such a limited budget. We have no excuses.

 Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Kilman, Morato, Engels, Mukasa, Bowen ©, Solomon, Taty, Piroe. Subs: Herrick (GK), Scarles, Golambeckis, Magassa, Orford, Kanté, Ajala, Austbø, Pablo

First Half

Millwall 2 (Caleb Taylor 16, Camiel Neghli 45 +3) West Ham 0

Abysmal, dreadful, awful. Just a few selected words to describe West Ham’s first half performance. More donkey derby than docker derby. Totally unprepared for the intensity of the opposition game. Out thought in the dugout; out fought on the pitch.

The worst fears that Nuno’s formation would mean being overwhelmed in midfield were all too apparent, especially in the absence of a specialist defensive midfielder. Where Millwall brought motivation and organisation, West Ham were passive, weak and rudderless.

With Engels and Mukasa marooned the wrong side of the halfway line, the front four players barely had a meaningful touch for the first half hour. No runners, little movement and Nuno looking on helplessly from the sidelines.

Do they not have any specific pre-match preparation at Rush Green? Did they not expect an aggressive opening from Millwall – in front of their own supporters at the Den? Must we always be taken by surprise at how opponents approach games and wait until half time to fix things?

The two Millwall goals were almost carbon copies of each other as West Ham again revealed their vulnerability to long throws. The very thought causing panic, fear and alarm.

The first scored while Mavropanos was off the pitch having been clattered by Hermansen’s rash attempt to reach a cross that was never his to claim. Another goal where Kilman turned his back on the ball rather than risk getting struck. Craig Dawson and Ginger Pele would be turning on their sixpences at the thought of such cowardice. Surely time to put him back on the bench where he can do less damage.

The second came just as the prospect of somehow making it to the break just the one goal behind. But with more white shirts spectating than defending the hosts were free to deservedly double their lead.  

Second Half

Millwall 2 (Caleb Taylor 16, Camiel Neghli 45 +3) West Ham 2 (Mohamadou Kanté 74, Konstantinos Mavropanos 80)

A poor showing always begs the question: is it the players or the system that’s too blame? The answer is probably a bit of both, but I have little confidence in Nuno’s system myself. And if the players have similar feelings, then performances will always suffer. It may work against open attacking sides prepared to concede space between the lines – but they are the exception. Against the rest – and wise opponents will see Millwall’s approach as a perfect template – the undermanned midfield and pedestrian build-up will prove costly.

In the event, Nuno made changes to both players and system at half time. On came Pablo and Kante in place of Piroe and KWP, with a change to three at the back and an extra body in midfield. Whether it was formation, personnel or Millwall tiring, West Ham gradually took the initiative.

Pablo – can’t play with him, can’t play without him – came out like a man who had been watching Green Street on repeat over the past week. His effort was inspirational although he missed with a header that Piroe might well have put away.

The Hammers struggled to turn their dominance into chances until Kante let rip from 35 yards to reduce the deficit. It was all West Ham after that. Bowen, Solomon and Austbo came to life and Kante was making runs beyond the strikers. Purpose and energy returned to their game. When Solomon sent over a delightful cross, Mavropanos was on hand to head home the equaliser.

A West Ham winner would have been harsh on Millwall but the chances of that happening faded when Kante was red carded for a blatant DOGSO. The consensus that Kante did the right thing shows how far cynicism has infected the professional game. When Willie Young scythed down Paul Allen in the 1980 cup final, we were outraged at how shocking and unsporting it all was. So bad that it led to the rules being changed. Now, it is applauded as taking one for the team.

In the end, Nuno and West Ham got away with one on Saturday. Hopefully he has a further supply of Get-Out-Of-Jail cards up his sleeve. For the neutral, I imagine it was an enjoyable game to watch. Plenty of action, passion, tackles – and no VAR to spoil the occasion. COYI!

NOW That’s What I Call Football, Volume Six Zero: Five Takeaways From Hammer’s Hollywood Blockbuster

An out of the (claret and) blue West Ham performance of free-flowing football has supporters gobsmacked and observers purring while Nuno throws caution to the wind

Nuno Says Relax

The most pleasing aspect of Friday’s performance for me was to the witness excellent movement from the West Ham players right across the pitch. With movement in front of you, the opportunity for progressive passing becomes all the more possible. Too often players have been receiving the ball in stationary positions and opting for the safety-first option of the sideways pass. Momentum is lost; space created and unpredictability are at a premium. That all changed on Friday. It was football with a smile on its face, played with a swagger, verve and joie de vivre last seen during the pandemic.  

It is movement which creates space for others to exploit; and we started to see players carrying the ball from deep positions with purpose. It delivered flashes of the variety and flair that Hammer fans have longed for. One might even say it was football played the West Ham way. It was beautiful. It was dominant. It was entirely unrecognisable. But once the dust settled, every battle-hardened supporter will be asking themselves the same thing: can it be repeated, or was it the accidental expenditure of a season’s worth of competence in a single game?

Kante Goes To Hollywood

More often than not, it is the 30-yard piledriver that garners most attention and goes on to win goal of the season. Personally, I love a team goal scored at the culmination of a free flowing, well worked move – and there were plenty to choose from on Friday night.

Mukasa’s pinpoint cross-field pass, Solomon’s hold-up play, Morato’s overlap and measured cross, and Bowen’s run for number one. Solomon’s through ball, Taty’s unselfish pull back for Piroe to score the second. KWP’s lung busting run from his own penalty area and Taty’s cool finish for make it four-nil. Solomon’s delightful pass and Kante’s run, control and rising drive to make it five. Finally, another KWP run and layoff to setup Solomon for a well-deserved sixth.

Perhaps the move that epitomised the spirit of the performance the best didn’t even end in a goal. A combination of Taty – Piroe – Taty – Bowen with the latter’s drive whistling tantalisingly past the far post.

And how nice not to have to put up with VAR taking five minutes to analyse whether Taty’s shoulder blade was offside in the build up to the Piroe goal. Spontaneity is back. Long live the spontaneity!

Two Tribes: West Ham Exceptional or Wrexham Awful?

A natural tendency after such a commanding one-sided performance is to wonder whether the win was the result of the Hammer’s excellence or Wrexham’s shortcomings. Had we made them look ordinary or had the visitor’s ordinariness made us look world beaters. In truth, it was a combination of the two until a flood of goals generated confidence at one end and edginess at the other.

Wrexham seemed naïve rather than abysmal – not yet finding their feet in the second tier after their meteoric rise from obscurity. They were billed as a physically strong side alternating between intense pressing and a compact mid to low block. But failed to deliver. Perhaps it was the plan all along to sacrifice the freedom of the wings and hope to deal with low risk crosses in the centre. If it was, it was undone by the unfamiliar range of movement displayed by the Hammers. And, for once, there was no parking brake applied at half-time as Nuno’s men continued to press forward, seeking to score as many goals as they could.   

Welcome To The Hammerdome

In every all-round top-notch team performance, there are always those who standout, and it was understandably the attacking players who shone the brightest.

The spring was back in Jarrod Bowen’s step with the type of performance which reinforces that he is a cut above anyone else in this league. He might well have had a hattrick and there was one sublime ball to pick out Manor Solomon early in the second half.

On the opposite wing, we were treated to just what Solomon has to offer. In earlier games, I suggested he was all pie and no filling. On Friday, he was different gravy, making a contribution to four of the six goals scored, even if he didn’t earn an assist credit for all of them. The pass for the Kante goal was outstanding.

And then there was Taty. The subject of many a wantaway rumour during the summer, he doesn’t look like someone who would rather be elsewhere. He is clearly an intelligent footballer who has become adept at intricate link up play – something unexpected from last season’s performances. With Pablo out of the way, we see far more fluidity from his partnership with Piroe. It has me wavering over my dislike for Nuno’s 4-4-1-1 formation.

Taty’s goal was his first in the league this season and good to see the goals being shared around. The tally currently stands at Bowen (4), Piroe and Mav (3), Solomon, Kante and Mukasa (2).

The Power of Love: Table Toppers

More than one media outlet framed the West Ham performance as ominous for the remaining Championship clubs. Let’s hope it turns out that way and that momentum can be maintained. A possible consequence, though, is that opponents will look to frustrate the Hammers by defending deep and denying space. The test then becomes a case of achieving victory through attrition. Are we up for the challenge?

It is still early days for league tables but there is nothing like being right at the top. The caveat is that of the seven games played, only two have been against sides currently in the top half – while four have been against teams currently in the bottom six. But we have now reached the two points per game target which usually guarantees automatic promotion if maintained.

Of the other early pacesetters, Middlesbrough. Wolves, Southampton and (maybe) Swansea are likely to be the major threats.

Now there is just the small matter of a Carabao Cup tie and a trip across the river to Bermondsey to occupy us. COYI!

A Prod Is As Good As A Dink To A Signed Norse: Austbo Adds Gloss To West Ham’s Derby Demolition

A late cameo from debutant Austbo steals the show as West Ham eventually ease past an unadventurous Derby at the London Stadium. The Hammers are maybe finally finding their Championship feet.

Saturday 5 September 2026. London Stadium, Stratford E15. Partly Sunny 22C

Pre-match Tensions

Another week, another swing from desolate doom to unbridled celebration as West Ham’s season trundles along while transfer windows and boardroom plots lurk in the shadows. To keep on top of things in the modern game, a football fan needs to be as familiar with player amortisation, squad cost ratios and pre-emptive shareholder rights as they are with formations, transitions and inverted full backs. How have they made it so complicated?

Some years ago, a group of boffins – remember them, the one-time staple of tabloid headlines, as in “Busty Boffin In Raunchy Love Nest Romp” – calculated that when your team loses it robs you of four times the amount of happiness that is gained from a win. The joy of a win is fleeting while the sadness of defeat lingers for many hours more. Possibly even longer now there is a whole online ecosystem feeding off that disappointment and transforming it into outrage. Analysing each stray pass, defensive lapse, fluffed chance, and refereeing injustice.

Once upon a much simpler time, the only statistic I was interested in after the latest reverse to an undeserving opponent was my xP – the expected number of pints needed to completely forget what I had just seen. Now the postmortem extends way beyond the call of last orders.

It was interesting to hear Nuno say how much the win against Wolves had lifted the mood at the club. My belief was that erratic game-to-game volatility is the preserve of the supporter rather than the coach, whose job is to take objective and balanced views in fixing what isn’t working regardless of results. But I suppose winning builds confidence and today is an early opportunity to observe how that works out in practice.

The Teams Are Announced

There are two changes from the team that started on Tuesday. Veltman and Piroe come in to replace Walker-Peters and Pablo. Veltman was not the most exciting of summer signings, but he brings a wealth of experience and a definite sense of leadership to the team. Deadline day signings Boiro and Morato both find a place on the bench.

Pablo is the notable absentee from the matchday squad. Does that mean an injury or is an exit on the cards to one of the leagues where the transfer window remains open? With Ajala missing also, there are no backup striker among the substitutes.

A slither of hope for those willing Pablo to eventually come good is that it took Peter Crouch 1,229 minutes to score his first goal after his move to Liverpool. Pablo is currently on 1,150 minutes and counting. Perhaps bagging the winner against Millwall will do the trick.

Hermansen, Veltman, Mavropanos, Kilman, Scarles, Engels, Mukasa, Bowen ©, Solomon, Piroe, Taty. Subs: Herrick (GK), Walker-Peters, Boiro, Morato, Golambeckis, Lamadrid, Kanté, Austbø, Orford   

The match referee is Oliver Langford. His Mike Dean challenge for today is to perform a charade of Three Men and a Baby while sorting out the goalmouth skirmishes in preparation for a corner kick.

First Half Report

West Ham 1 (Piroe 6) Derby County 0

Nuno is persevering with his 4-4-something formation with all its loss of fluidity and the potential for overload in the midfield. Most coaches had abandoned it years ago, but Nuno must see what others don’t or else believes it to be the only one suited to the players in his squad – even after all the comings and goings of the summer.

On paper, the centre of midfield pairing of Engels and Mukasa feels lightweight. It is also a setup which places too much defensive responsibility on the wide attacking players, Bowen and Solomon. Fortunately, Derby have arrived without any ambition to compete in the midfield areas and are happy to surrender control to their hosts. Taty and Piroe are rotating up top, and it takes only six minutes for them to combine and open the scoring. Bowen’s fine cross, Taty’s header back across goal and Piroe perfectly placed to prod home.

The remainder of the first half is one-way traffic with the Hammers creating plenty of chances to extend their lead. The early goal has not galvanised the visitors into action, and they are content to keep it tight at the back and not concede further goals.

At times there is even a touch of swagger in West Ham’s approach play including several delightful combinations featuring Taty, Bowen and Mukasa. How refreshing to have a player like Mukasa able to carry a threat through central areas of the pitch. It makes the team so much less predictable. Elsewhere, the defence has looked collectively sound, and Engels is putting in an excellent shift in the engine room. It is also pleasing to see more bodies getting into the box in support of attacks.

The Hammers will be frustrated to go in the break just one goal to the good. For a team that has historically failed to perform in two consecutive halves of football the question is: will they live to regret it?

Full Time Report

West Ham 3 (Piroe 6, Austbo 87, Kante 90+5) Derby County 0

It’s not clear what Nuno says to his players during the half-time team talk but once again lethargy has crept into Hammer’s demeanour following the re-start. Whatever has been said, it has not had the desired motivational effect.

Luckily, despite their increased possession, Derby have offered little in the way of goal threat. But a single goal lead is always precarious. It only needs a deflected shot, a set piece scramble – or for the referee to have called hand ball when the ball struck Mav’s arm in the area – for it to be cancelled out.

As an attacking force, the Hammers had become especially weak down their left-hand side. Scarles game lacks composure and conviction at the moment and could well do with a break from first team action. Solomon, on the other hand, continues to flatter to deceive. He’s like a disappointing firework. Looks good, has great attitude, good control and first touch. But the explosion never comes. The blue touch paper has been lit but fizzles out in a puff of smoke and stray sparks. He had one great opportunity to enter the memorable West Ham goals hall of fame when an audacious lobbed pass from Mukasa fell nicely into his path – but the mistimed shot looped tamely into the keeper’s arms.

A welcome treat for Nuno this weekend was that his substitutions worked out perfectly. Orford replacing the injured Taty shored up the midfield, pushed Mukasa further forward and altered the team’s shape for the better. And it was the introduction of Austbo and Kante which triggered the late scoring flurry to secure all three points.

Full marx to Engels for his surging run and cross that arrived (via a scuffed Bowen shot) at the feet of Austbo to steer calmly home and register a dream debut goal. Then, as the clock ticked down, Austbo’s clever pass forward invited Kante to lash home from just outside the box.

In the end, it was a job well done. A decent and encouraging overall performance, a rare clean sheet, and a more respectable look to the league table. A second consecutive win makes it a double happiness week and evens up the balance for the season if you include cup games.

Now it must be done all over again for the upcoming games on Tuesday and Friday evenings. We must rely on Nuno to make the correct and intelligent squad rotation decisions to maintain the new found momentum. COYI!

Seven Points Thrown Away: And So It’s My Assumption, Nuno’s Up The Watford Junction

Except for the names and a few other changes, it is the same West Ham story at Vicarage Way as slow build up, risk aversion, poor movement and a lack of penetration lead to frustration and the loss of more important league points.

Vicarage Road, Watford. Saturday 29 August 2026. 3:00 PM. Light to Heavy Showers: 19C

Pre-match Thoughts

As ever the big question when West Ham play Watford is “are Watford a London club?” The evidence is conflicting. I’m sure they appeared in a bold typeface in the old Evening News/ Standard Saturday night classifieds; and were occasionally featured on London Weekend Television’s Big Match the following day. The town is served by the London Underground, sits inside the M25 and is no further from Central London than Romford is. On the other hand, it officially remained part of Hertfordshire rather than being annexed (as Romford and indeed West Ham were) during the expansion of Greater London in 1965. So, there you have it. The answer is “possibly”.

The other big question is what lessons, if any, will have been learned from last Saturday’s woeful effort against Charlton and the noticeable midweek improvement at Southampton? We’ll know fairly soon.

This will be the penultimate game before the transfer window closes as West Ham will again be playing on the actual night. Although the Boardroom has lost some its reputation for having more leaks than soup in a basket, the window has largely played out much as it always has. Better prices have been received for departures admittedly, but progress on signings has been as hesitant, haphazard and protracted as usual.

Alongside the transfer window, the pre-emption round for the purchase of the Gold family shares also slams shut over the coming week. The widespread belief is that Daniel Kretinski will emerge as the main buyer, but we can’t know that for certain. Maybe he has seen enough over the last few weeks to have a change of heart and pass the poison chalice onto the Staveley consortium.

The Teams Are Announced

Nuno’s team selection shows three changes from the side that started against Charlton. Out go Mavropanos (injured), Scarles and Piroe. In come Veltman, Golambeckis and Mukasa. On paper it looks like a 4-2-3-1 with Mukasa deployed as the creative attacking midfielder. Walker-Peters is switched to left back ahead of Mayers and Scarles.

A surprise after the midweek performances is that it is Kante who gets the nod over Orford. This may be due to Nuno’s preference for height in centre of midfield – the same rationale for Soucek’s frequent starts last season. The absence of a quick, mobile and tactically aware deep lying midfielder to protect the defence continues to stick out.

Match Report

Watford 1 (Nabizada 19) West Ham 1 (Pollock (OG) 27)

There was too little action this week to divide the match report into its separate halves.      

West Ham had a brightish opening ten minutes but with only another blocked shot from Bowen to show for their efforts. The early momentum then switched as the home side began to grow in confidence and into the game. The Hornets took the lead on 19 minutes with a neat lobbed finish that a proper goalkeeper with normal sized arms should easily have saved. For a while, Watford’s ascendency suggested they might well double their lead to add to visitor’s woes. However, the Hammers survived and largely control possession for the remainder of the game. Apart, that is, from a short spell of Watford dominance just after the break as the Hammers recovered from Nuno’s inspiring half-time team talk.

The game had returned to all square by the break thanks to an unnecessary attempt to play out from the back by Keben in the home defence. Full marks to Taty for not giving up the chase but the goal came gift-wrapped rather than as a reward for any incisive claret and blue play.

The second half was almost entirely without incident. The Hammers created little from their near 70% possession or from the succession of corners which floated carelessly into the night. Watford’s occasional forays up field, while executed with purpose, rarely caused meaningful danger.

It was textbook low intensity football from West Ham. The apparent formation change made little material difference and played out as a hybrid of the anticipated 4-2-3-1 and the 4-4-1-1 that has plagued our approach since its unexpected short-term success at the start of the year.

Transition was again painfully slow; defined by a pointless back and forth in the defensive third. The theoretically most dangerous outlets (Bowen and Solomon) typically received the ball in deep, static positions with a full defensive line reformed in front of them – given ample time get back into its shape.

For the most part, our wingers do most of their work well away from the danger areas. Cutting inside before running out of space and being forced to play sideways or backwards. It is a rarity to have a ball played into space for a wide man to run onto. And if (and when) a ball is eventually delivered into the box, there are never enough bodies arriving to attack it.

Everything we see is a consequence of the low-risk mindset at the heart of Nuno’s footballing philosophy. It might occasionally work when the opposition is attack minded (as it did at Southampton) but is hopeless when confronted with a low block or intense pressing. The sad fact is that this will be case in the majority of Championship games this season.

Of equal significance is the lack of movement this risk averse attitude engenders. Where are the runners, who is creating the space for others to exploit? Mukasa struggled to make any impact – as other attacking midfielders have before him – due to an obvious lack of passing options and movement in front of him. It is a team playing on their heels rather than their toes. This has been a long running West Ham problem relieved only temporarily during the Lingard/ Rice purple patch of 2021.

Supporters are right to want and expect more signings before the window closes. But those signings should be to convert a squad already good enough for top four into certainties for promotion. The fact is we currently sit in 19th place having dropped seven points from the nine available. The only reasonable conclusion is that the underlying problem lies in the dugout. A mindset that was complicit in last season’s relegation and refuses to budge or adapt.

Will bringing in different players make the necessary improvements if nothing else changes. Marginally perhaps but not to the level required to achieve automatic promotion. It would the equivalent of signing up more A-list actors for a movie where the Director is clueless and the script and screenplay are an abomination.

The writing must surely be on the wall for Nuno. There are five more league games and an EFL third round encounter before the international break. It will need a massive turnaround for the manager to survive the chop at that point. We can officially launch the six games to save his job countdown, starting with Tuesday night’s clash with Wolves.

One bright spot from the game was the assured performance of Golambeckis in the centre of defence. He has the look of a very intelligent centre-back with good pace and great awareness. It will be interesting to see how he fares against the more agricultural of Championship strikers. COYI!