Nuno opts for Moyesball in tough trip to Brighton

West ham's record against Brighton is simply abysmal with only one win in the last 16 encounters! The Seagulls have got our number and generally bask in their tippy-tappyness as we crumble. 

Nuno needs to stop that rot and has opted for five at the back, allowing our wing backs to push up and support Bowen and the (thankfully) returning Summerville. It's a plan but one that failed repeatedly during the Moyesball era.

No doubt the formation in part has been encouraged by the intense efforts of Thursday night where the Hammers energetically grabbed a valuable point. However, the recent heroics of Leeds and Burnley have further emphasized that it'll probably require 40 points to stay up this season and the Hammers need to chisel out some much needed points until January reinforcements arrive.

That said, the relegation of Potts and Magassa to the bench seems odd as they are both young and should have adequate engines for two games in four days. It's hard to see what the incoming Rodriguez will offer against a pacey Brighton midfield.

Wilson will likely benefit from a rest and can add spice if needed.

Paqueta returns and has some making up to do after one of the silliest red cards in our history.

COYI!!!

Starting XI: Areola, Wan-Bissaka, Kilman, Todibo, Mavropanos, Diouf, Rodriguez, Fernandes, Paqueta, Summerville, Bowen

Subs: Hermansen, Walker-Peters, Wilson, Fullkrug, Magassa, Soucek, Potts, Irving, Mayers

 

Its Bazza time for the Hammers!

Yes folks, it's the "Barry McGuigan" as West ham face the Red Devils tonight at Ye Olde Trafford. Just when it looked like Nuno had turned things around, the Hammers had a nivhtmare against stuttering Liverpool on Sunday. Pool were there for the takibg but Nuno's troops failed to maintain their recent momentum and were easily beaten 2-0.

To add salt to the wounds, Lucas Paqueta decided to get himself needlessly sent off in a bizarre display of childish petulance that forced the ref to deliver a yellow and then a red card for persistent arguing. 

Without Somerville to add width, Jarrod Bowen has been double marked and up front the Hamners look frail. 

The odds are that Soucek will return, which will add some mscle and aerial impact but just now its hard to see how Nuno's boys can pull off a much needed victory tonight.

With Brighton, Villa and Man City in the pipeline its gonna take some big performanxes to avoid being in the drop zone at Christmas. 

COYI!!!

When words cannot capture the moment

 

Rip big man, Dignified Lionheart. 

True Legend.

Joyous scenes from the Bobby Moore stand

 

When all is said and done, its hard to match live footy. Since the Europa Conference win, the Hammers have had seasons to forget - so mediocre that you would almost wish for a relegation battle to bring meaning to the final quarter of the season.

Thanks to J-Lo and Potter, Nuno's Hammers find themselves in a proper relegation battle. Suddenly we are seeing the calibre of players like Soucek and Paqueta - while we know our Czech mate is made of titanium, the grit of our Brazilian maestro has been impressive. 

Backed by the tireless energy of Fernandes and Potts, suddenly we have a competitive midfield again. Our defence is still leaky but up front the Bowen-Wilson-Summervile triad is always a threat and gaining in cohesion. 

Yesterday the Hammers once again came from behind to win and we are now back in the thick of it all. Hilariously, after a terrible start, we are still only 8 points off a Champion's League place. 

We have a run of tricky fixtures up to Christmas and in reality need to look to grab 6-7 points over that period. With a consistent CB and another striker arriving in January, we should pull ourselves out of trouble. 

Either way, the gloom has lifted as the scenes from the BM stand after Soucek's crucial goal demonstrate.

COYI!!!

The boys are back in town!

The feeling of doom at West ham has finally lifted after last week’s impressive display against Newcastle. It feels like Nuno has found a setup that will work with the squad he has to hand. The task now is to build on that and chisel out as many points as possible between now and January when it looks like there will be lots of squad shuffling.

Seasoned observers will no doubt be impressed by Nuno’s determination to encourage our younger players which, when all is said and done, is at the heart of the West ham way.

The promotion of four of our development players to the first team squad lays down a major marker regarding Nuno’s intentions to mould the team over a sustained period. Doing this while maintaining results is a big challenge that most managers lack the courage to enact in the crazy managerial ping-pong of modern football. 

None of West ham’s managers over recent years have believed enough in our kids to go beyond token game time. Declan Rice was a notable exception but then again he is possibly the best player in the Premiership. 

No doubt Freddie Potts has had a happy head on him all week but his dad, himself a former Hammer of the year, will help him to maintain perspective. The lad has put in some hard work in the lower divisions to get to where he is but you’d have to think that his game is best suited to Premiership football. Put simply, he moves like a baller. It was a travesty that his goal last week was ruled offside but maybe it will help keep the frenzy of positivity under some degree of control.

Today is truly a six-pointer as Scotty Parker brings his determined Burnley side to the London Stadium. Given where things are, you would have to feel that at least one claret n blue side will be among the three clubs that suffer the drop this season. Today’s clash will be a key factor in deciding that fate. 

Nuno’s boys really need our best support today so let’s try and create a big atmosphere. Let the protest activity stop at the turnstiles and lets get the place rocking! A win today would add considerable oxygen to Nuno’s campaign. He is an impressive presence - calm, thoughtful but also astute and penetrating. His gaze suggests a deep awareness of the art of footy and already you can sense that he understands the bigger culture of the club as a community. Hopefully the Gods of Footy will deliver results that allow the time necessary for his plans to develop. 

The VeryWestHam team are over in force today and will be cheering from the Bobby Moore stand.

COYI🛠

Sent from Outlook for Android

Hammers Stave off Reaper (for now)

 

It’s a recurring part of the fabric of West ham that an unexpected good result is followed by a poor performance against less quality opposition. 

While Sunday’s display against Newcastle was impressive, the Hammers really need to buck their usual pattern and follow up with a win against Burnley this weekend. 

There was much to savour on Sunday - having fallen behnd to a wonder strike from Jacob Murphy, Nuno’s men dug deep to chisel out a deserved victory. 

The defensive organistion and tenacious midfield snuffed out the Magpies, while uo front Summerville, Bowen and Paqueta played with purpose and as a unit to keep Newcastle under threat throughout.

Fernandes and Freddie Potts brought a level of energy to the midfield that has been lacking since Declan Rice departed, with Potts gaining confidence all the time he gets game time.

But Newcastle had a host of injuries and an eye on Europe that was almost certainly a factor in howthe game evolved. Burnley will bring a lot more fight and will know that even just 10 games into the season that this is already a relegation six pointer!

Patience and determination will be key factors at the weekend. A big plus is that Nuno seems to have found his best starting XI and a formation that allows defensive stability with a decent attacking threat.

Lucas Paqueta had his best game in a while against Newcastle and can expect to be targeted against Burnley. That should provide space for Fernandes and Potts to show what they are capable of. 

Summerville is well overdue a goal to complement a string of decent performances. Nuno seems to have realised that Diouf is the best left back option to support him.

The Hammers are still 49.3% likely to be relegated on current opta supercomputer calculations. Saturday will greatly influence that rating - up or down!

After Saturday, West ham have a string of tricky fixtures bringing them to Christmas. If they can squeeze out some results between now and then, a few astutes incomings in January and we can push on. 

Beating Burnley is key to that. As fans need to get right behind them on what will be a crunching collision.

COYI!!!

Reasons to be cheerful; one, two, three...

At last, West ham's season has kicked into life. Despite all the pessimism of late, Nuno's men finally found a rhythm and totally deserved their win against a tepid Newcastle United. 

There was lots to like about the Hammers performance but three things stood out during the clash;

Firstly, having Fernandes and Potts in midfield adds much needed energy and allows Paqueta to push forward where he looks happier and is much more effective. Paq is well and truly back!

Secondly, we can defend if the midfield provides a decent shield. Newcastle probably dreamed of Bruno, Joelinton et all running riot through our usually sluggish midfield but had very little joy as Nuno finally found a formation that works for this squad.

Thirdly, Potts was outstanding. Comfortable on the ball and he's getting braver with more game time. Such a pity his goal strike was unluckily ruled offside but he looks the business and will surely grow and grow.

Burnley up next and a chance to build momentum as we smash our way out of the relegation zone.

We have hope once more....

COYI!!!