Crisis? What crisis? Hammers pillage 3-0 victory at Forest

Graham Potter wil be a relieved man tonight as West Ham's season kicked into gear with a canny 3-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest. 

The Hammers had to be disciplined in defence as Forest huffed and puffed but they held firm and when their chance came they pounced. 

Potter will be chuffed with his game management as Summerville's introduction changed the game while Callum Wilson opened his goal account on a day Lucas Paqueta played a blinder!

Here's our player ratings...

Hermansen – 8. Much needed steady performance from the Dane. Importantly, communication with his defenders was solid throughout and he looked calm as Forest launched cross after cross into the Hammers box. 

Walker-Peters – 7. Lively all day. Linked well with Bowen to shore up the right flank throughout.

Mavropanos – 8. One of his best games in a Hammers short. Powerful in the air and looked unusually comfortable on the ball. 

Kilman – 7. More like what we expect. Disciplined and focused throughout in difficult conditions with the physicality of Wood to deal with. He seems to prefer the simplicity of a back four set up. 

Diouf – 8. Excellent stuff - blessed with pace but showed his calmness in defence. The pairing with Summerville on the left will terrify opponents as their understanding grows through the season 

Ward-Prowse – 6. Reduced to utility player status these days but a sensible head without anything flashy. Fernandes’ set pieces will dilute Ward Prowse's value as the newbie showed how accurate he can be.

Soucek – 7. Quietly effective. You cannot understate his value in the air - a big asset today as Forest bombarded the Hammers goal with crosses.

Bowen – 9. Once again he was the difference. Worked hard in defence and took his opportunity with aplomb.. 

Fernandes – 9. Tremendous debut. Energetic and skilful throughout. Looks like a masterful signing.  

Paqueta – 10. Tremendous throughout - competitive and, as always, an eye for an opening. The goal celebration was class. The Hammers need a gypsy-like soul (Di Canio, Payet, Arnautovic) and Lucas is the natural extension of that pulse. A great day for him.

Fullkrug – 6. Battled away but with limited impact. 

Substitutes:

Wilson: 8. Looked up for it and grabbed his debut goal in the process! 

Summerville: 9. Outstanding impact. His pace and control was a joy to behold!

Irving: 6. Solid for the few minutes he was on. 

The chaos continues as Hammers face a busy 36 hours

After three resounding defeats in a row, having conceded 11 goals, Graham potters West ham are in turmoil. After 12 consecutive seasons in the premiership, West Ham have rarely looked more like relegation fodder.  Mercifully, this disastrous start to season has spurred the board into action with the current level of movement akin to Brick Lane market!

Within the space of 24 hours in midweek the Hammers captured two mobile midfielders to add bite to their misfiring midfield with Mateus Fernandes arriving from Southampton for £38m while Soungoutou Magassa joined from Monaco for £17m. Addition of young, pacey and aggressive talent is much needed as Tomas Soucek’s ability is not based on pace whilst the ageing James Ward Prowse lacks the mobility West ham need in midfield right now.

However, those signings have left the hammers rather cash- strapped and rumours about a possible exit of midfield playmaker Lucas Paqueta to Aston Villa or possibly Spurs have upset the Hammers Apple cart as Paqueta is the one truly creative player in the squad and would surely thrive in a more dynamic midfield. Meanwhile,  Everton maintain a keen interest in bringing Tomas Soucek to Merseyside for a reunion with David Moyes. The Czech star brings an aerial presence  and goalscoring contribution that would be sorely missed.

At the back, Nayef Aguerd looks set to move to France with the possibility that Charlie Cresswell will move in the opposite direction to add some beef to what has been a feeble defence. The former Leeds defender is an impressive young talent who could be the player the Hammers hoped the off-form Max Kilman would be.

On top of all that activity, latest rumours suggest that West Ham are seriously looking at bringing in an attack-minded midfielder with Fabio Vieira of Arsenal in the spotlight. However, his time at Arsenal has been blighted by injuries and the Portuguese star has managed just two goals in thirty three appearances since his arrival at the  Gunners in 2022. With Summerville back soon Vieira would likely struggle to get game time and hardly seems worth an estimated £20m pay out right now.

The summer transfer window closes in England on Monday at 7pm. Buckle up because it's bound to get choppy over the next thirty six hours. In the meantime, the hammers make their way to the city ground.Looking for their first points of the season against Nottingham forest. 

Forest have experienced turmoil of their own at a board level.This season , with continued uncertainty about the future of manager Nuno Espirito Santo and have not kept a clean sheet in their last ten premiership games , but nonetheless have started the season strongly with four points from two games. No doubt , Chris Wood will be licking his lips in anticipation of scoring yet again against a leaky west ham defence. 

You’d take a draw!

KO is 2pm.

C’mon U Irons!!!

Here we go - "relegation six pointer" already beckons?

Its hard to believe but we are back already! After a relatively quiet Summer, mainly punctuated with exits, Graham Potters men make the long journey to Sunderland for the season's opener.

Its been a decent preseason in terms of results but that counts for little once the real business of the Premiership arrives. Potter will hopefully have gotten his squad finally schooled in possession-based tactics, while Sunderland have 11 newcomers to their squad and as such are an unknown quantity.

At the back, reintegrating Aguerd looks like a smart move with a new 3 centre back set up. Diouf adds pace down the wing, while Hermansen will hope to add consistency between the stick.

Up front, we can hope to finally get to see what Fullkrug has to offer - he's looked sharp in preseason. The continued absence of Summerville is disappointing but the prospect of a Diouf-Summerville left clank is exciting and should be possible in the coming weeks.

Midfield looks low in pace which is a worry. Potts may add in that regard as a substitute. Its hard to know what Rodriguez brings that Soucek couldnt offer, along with his exceptional aerial ability.....is he benched to rest him for an exit?

Folk on Talksport have penned this as a relagation six pointer which seems a bit harsh/histrionic but nevertheless a good start to the season would be very welcome!

KO is 3pm. 

Rory Nostradamus reckons the Hammers will expose the lack of familiarity in the Sunderland squad, with Callum Wilson coming on to score on his debut.

It's good to be back

COYI!!!

WEST HAM: Hermansen; Todibo, Kilman, Aguerd; Wan-Bissaka, Ward-Prowse, Rodriguez, Diouf; Paqueta;  Bowen (c), Fullkrug.

Subs: Areola, Mavropanos, Walker-Peters, Scarles, Soucek, Alvarez, Irving, Potts, Wilson.