Don't give up (yet)

For many fans it seems West Ham are already down. Martin Samuel has just written a long piece in the Sunday Times headlined, "West Ham's squad looks immune to even the  smartest coaching." He makes a couple of good points, namely that fans boycotting games isn't going to help the confidence of the players (protests are best done before or after matches) and also that the stadium isn't the major problem. 

Samuel writes: "Dissenters often pretend that all they want is the old West Ham back — pie and mash, the Boleyn Ground, a trophy every 43 years — but the reality is the mood is synced to the football. When West Ham are playing well, the London Stadium is not perfect, but fine. It has noise, it has atmosphere. When West Ham are making progress in Europe or beating Chelsea, there is no problem at all. In times like this, however, it sucks the life from all who enter. The fans are absent, angry or silent. The players are anxious and lost."

He's also right about the lack of strategy and the fact that the squad is a mishmash of players assembled by David Moyes, David Sullivan, Tim Steidten, Graham Potter and Kyle Macaulay. As he says: "This is a stupid football club, making stupid decisions and it has done for too long."

But has all hope gone? As Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush might suggest, Don't Give Up. Or not just yet. There are 29 games left. As Michael Carrick said on Match of The Day, there's talent in a forward line of Summerville, Paqueta, Wilson and Bowen. While Niclas Fullkrug, if he ever gets fit, is still loved at Borussia Dortmund and might come good with an extended run. 

Our defending from corners has been terrible, but as Robert Green revealed on Sky, Big Sam used to drill the players for hours on defending corners so that it became easy on match days. Surely Nuno can do the same? Kilman and Todibo don't seem to be able to play as a partnership but could one of them improve with a new signing or Igor alongside them? While there were signs in Nuno's first two games that Mavropanos was cutting out the unforced errors.

We have to hope that Nuno gets over his early madness for tinkering. Surely he must now have the evidence that inverted full backs don't work and Irving and Soucek are too slow in central midfield? In his first two games starting with Magassa as a defensive midfielder and replacing him late on with Potts worked well enough. There's also hope that Fernandes, after scoring at Leeds, is going to start looking like a £40m midfielder.

It's not going to be easy. Sunderland have 17 points and seem certain to stay up. We have to hope that the relegation battle involves Wolves, Burnley, Leeds and perhaps a middling club like Notts Forest, Fulham or Brentford dragged down by injuries or a poor run. We need to not get cut adrift by Christmas. Creativity will be needed in the January window with perhaps loans for a defender, a young striker and a box-to-box midfielder. But win a few games and relegation becomes somebody else's problem. It's not all over yet.

A trip to Elland back as WHU make worst start in 52 years

Leeds United 2 West Ham 1

It's a trip with Matt to the World's End, our latest unlucky pub, as Halloween starts a week early with Nuno making another scary team selection. He's again playing Scarles as a right back and Wan-Bissaka is now on the left with Diouf in a five-man defence. He's again playing Irving and Soucek in central midfield while ignoring Magassa and Fernandes, and with Fullkrug injured has again opted not to play a striker in Callum Wilson. Nuno is overthinking this.

We settle down with pints of Landlord next to two blokes in Leeds shirts who turn out to be Matt's friends, so we avoid steaming in and instead say hello. Leeds score with their first attack. Bogle (are Leeds now our Bogle team?) has too much time to cross from the right and Okafor gets ahead of Scarles to head towards Areola. The keeper parries it and Aaronson reacts quicker than Todibo and Wan-Bissaka to prod home the rebound. Scarles is a promising left-back, but he's at fault here. Why did Nuno think it a good idea to play him on the right for the first time in two crucial relegation six-pointers?

There are signs of life in the WHU attack as Summerville does well to get in a cross and Bowen's overhead kick is parried by Perri, who manages to get a second touch to flick the ball away from Paqueta. But on 15 minutes Leeds win a corner. The ball drifts over Kilman and Todibo and Rodon is inexplicably being marked by Paqueta. The big man thumps home his header. You can't give teams a two-goal start. Marking isn't Paqueta's game and he should surely be left upfield at corners so the opposition have to keep a man back.

Callum Wilson is already warming up when Scarles goes down with a shoulder injury and Nuno is forced into playing a more conventional line-up. Wilson might have lost a bit of pace but he does fairly well holding the ball up and winning free kicks, while Bowen is more effective cutting in from the right. West Ham seem to have pulled one back as Bowen drives in from the left and Wilson blocks a clearance with the ball falling to Lucas to fire home,. But VAR rules that Paqueta is just offside though there's an argument that the ball came off the Leeds defender last. 

Soucek heads wide from a good Bowen cross and Bowen shoots wide but it's Leeds who almost score before the break as Okafor twists and turns past Todibo to fire just wide. More beer is the only option at half-time.

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT

Andy Irving is a neat passer but lacks the pace and tackling ability we need. The second half starts with Aaronson racing from hois own half through our porous midfield, past Irving, Soucek and Paqueta, and having a shot deflected on to the bar. 

Nuno brings on Fernandes and Potts on 65 minutes and West Ham dominate possession. Magassa gets on for the final 15 minutes. Paqueta tries his best and plays well but we don't really threaten as crosses come to nothing and Leeds make defending corners look easy. Still, we keep at it and on 90 minutes Bowen's chip into the box is glanced home by the head of Fernandes.

Any hope of a late equaliser disappears with an overhit cross from Todibo and it's another depressing defeat.This is now West Ham's worst start in 52 years and we have broken a PL record by conceding nine goals from corners in the first nine games. 

There's some hope in the second half performance but Nuno needs to stop tinkering. Let's try playing the full-backs in their correct positions, give the £60m pair of Magassa and Fernandes games in midfield and play a striker up front with Bowen cutting in from the right. Sean Dyche has said he'll put players in their right positions at Nottingham Forest and Nuno needs to so the same. And how about appointing a set-piece coach? With two home games coming up it's time to keep it simple.

Dire Hammers stung by Bees

West Ham 0 Brentford 2

The only fireworks on display are in the pre-match entertainment. Lisa and Matt have been to Germany to see Dortmund's yellow wall, while our claret and blue wall is peppered with white thanks to the fans' boycott. Nigel, Michael and Big Sam, up from Wales, make up our number.

Nuno's selection is very strange. Wan-Bissaka and Diouf are dropped for Walker-Peters and Scarles, who are weirdly played on their wrong sides with Scarles on the right and Wan-Bissaka on the left. Todibo is in and the Greek Bloke is out, Magassa is dropped having payed in the last two games and the central midfield is the strange and slow pairing of Andy Irving, making his home debut after 780 days, and Tomas Soucek. Nuno plays Bowen as a striker, with Paqueta interchanging, negating our best force on the right and leaves Wilson on the bench. OK, some players may be tired after international duty and Nuno wants to look at all his players, but it's like he's playing an experimental pre-season match rather than a must-win game.

West Ham start brightly winning a series of corners and with Summerville making some threatening runs. Portobello Pirlo Andy Irving looks quite dangerous with his dead ball delivery. But soon West Ham are getting bullied in midfield as Thiago starts to threaten and Brentford dominate. A throw in is flicked on and Thiago shoots against the bar. Brentford win numerous corners and Areola has to claw away Damsgaard's header. Matt suggests that if we are willing Schade to miss it might be a case of Schade-fruede.

Yet again the Hammers concede just before the break. After a ball over the top Kilman misses his clearance and Schade finds Thiago, whose shot spins off Areola's hand and over the line in slow motion. Bowen at least has a low snapshot saved by Kelleher. Big Brentford striker Thiago seems to net a second in added time, though luckily VAR rules him just offside.

"The world outside is bad enough without the football being like this," laments Michael. Nigel eats his lucky banana more in hope than expectation at half-time. 

Nuno brings on AWB, Diouf and the Greek Bloke at half-time in an admission that he's got the defence wrong. Soon after the restart Schade heads against the bar. Wan-Bissaka does make a bit if a difference on the right and we look better with our natural full-backs. But the only real chance is when Summerville sets up Bowen for a skied shot.

WIN OR LOSE ON THE BOOS

Nuno ignores Callum Wilson for some reason and brings on the raw Callum Marshall who runs around a lot but gets little change out of the giant centre backs. The arrival of Guido Rodriguez for Soucek is greeted with boos, which you don't like to hear, though it does seem bizarre when Magassa and Potts are on the bench.

Thiago and Lewis-Potter go close. Todibo completely misses a tackle and has had another worrying game. West Ham are down to ten men when the Greek Bloke pulls a muscle and waits an age for the Noddy Car to arrive.

The coup de grace comes in added time as Lewis-Potter capitalises on some poor defending from Diouf and crosses for Jensen to score. This is the first time in West Ham's history the club has lost the first four home games of the season. It's been less of a new manager bounce and more of a new manager splodge.

Walking to Ye Olde Black Bull we search for positives. "We didn't concede from a set-piece," suggests Big Sam. "And we have a 100 per cent record in London derbies," I add.

In the Black Bull over Brixton Pale we wonder how Michael the Thespian will review this Samuel Beckett-like performance at the London Stadium. Lisa mentions Krapp's Last Tape and Happy Days, where Winnie is buried in a hole in the ground up to her waist and then her neck. So nothing like West Ham.

This really feels like we're going down and Leeds away is coming up on Friday. Nuno Espirito Santo really needs to ask his holy spirit for help. 

PLAYER RATINGS: Areola 6; Scarles 4 (Diouf 4), Kilman 4, Todibo 3, Walker-Peters 4 (Wan-Bissaka 6); Soucek 5 (Rodriguez 4), Irving 4 (Marshall 4), Paqueta 5, Fernandes 4 (Mavropanos 5), Summerville 6; Bowen 5.

Nuno: not your typical gaffer

Reading up on Nuno Espirito Santo it's clear he's not your typical gaffer. We've not had too many horsemen at West Ham, apart from the odd visit from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse during relegation seasons. But Nuno has a great love of horses and likes to ride in the morning before going to training, as you do. Well, it beats Big Sam's Ford Fiesta. You'd expect a bloke whose name translates as "Holy Spirit" to be a bit different. The gaffer also likes padel, a racquet game that is a hybrid of tennis and squash and plays a percussion instrument called a handpan.

Nuno grew up on the island nation of Sao Tome and Principe, off the west coast of central Africa and seems to have quite a cultural hinterland. Whereas Graham Potter could at times sound a little David Brent-ish, Nuno looks and sounds more like the leader of some obscure religious cult. Henry Winter describes him as "soulful". 

As a player Nuno was a goalkeeper, itself unusual for a manager. He was signed by Jose Mourinho at Porto where he won the Champions League and several league titles, which should generate some respect in the dressing room. 

ZEN AND THE ART OF MIDFIELD MAINTENANCE

He's been around a bit, managing at Valencia and Porto before a very successful spell at Wolves where he won the Championship and steered them to seventh place in the PL. He wasn't really given a chance at Spurs but then won the Saudi Pro League and steered Forest away from trouble and into Europe, being in the top four for most of last season. Fans of the Tricky Trees are certainly missing him to judge by their reaction to Big Ange.

Nuno clearly has something about him. His former winger Anthony Elanga told the Athletic: “He is chilled, but quite demanding at the same time." So far he's tightened up the defence a little and made a point of giving young Freddie Potts and Callum Marshall some minutes - playing home-grown kids always goes down well with Hammers' fans. He is used to working with difficult chairmen after his experience with Marinakas at Forest. So hopefully Nuno will be able to cope with David Sullivan, who now seems set to have a bigger say in transfers. Nuno will need all his Zen-like qualities to cope with all the churn and dysfunction at West Ham. Let's hope he succeeds.

Two-nil to the Arsenal

Arsenal 2 West Ham 0

I'm undercover for this one thanks to my Gooner pal. We're on the halfway line with a fine view and genteel crowd, including Robert Peston and behind me a Gunner who saw his first Arsenal game in 1948.

Wan-Bissaka is back in the side, but feeling his way back is not the force he was in this fixture last season. West Ham win a corner in the first minute, which Fullkrug, under pressure, heads over, and that's about it attack wise. Arsenal sweep forward and Timber forces a good low save from Areola. A goalmouth scramble sees Eze shoot over when he should score.

Odegaard makes PL history by going off after 30 mins for the third game in a row after a clash of knees with Summerville. But it's a sign of Arsenal's strength in depth that he's replaced by the £60m Zubimendi.

The breakthrough comes after 38 minutes as Zubimendi's fine through ball sees Eze force a  save from Areola but Declan Rice strike home the rebound. At least Declan doesn't celebrate. "Declan Rice, we got him half price!" chant the Gunners' fans. It's nearly two just before the break as Calafiori's shot rebounds off a post on to Areola's back and is scrambled away.

To be slightly positive West Ham work hard and do keep their shape against the possible champions. The Greek Bloke wins a lot in the air and has a decent game against Gyokeres, while Kilman also does well. We even manage to defend corners reasonably well. The away fans amuse themselves with a chant of "Who's the wanker with the drum?"

But it's still all one-way. Zubimendi chips over the defence and Diouf shows his inexperience by letting Timber get behind him. He brings down Timber on the edge of the box and the ref gives a penalty. Saka makes it 2-0. "You're going down!" chant the home fans.

Fernandes is busy at times and Nuno shows bravery by taking off Magassa and Fullkrug for youngsters Potts and Marshall. Both are energetic but powerless as Arsenal play out a routine win. Very late on Bowen wins a corner and Marshall gets above Saliba only to head over.

Oh well, it was only two-nil and Arsenal habec spent £240m plus on Zubimendi, Eze, Madueke and Gyokeres. This was never a game West Ham were likely to get much from but Nuno will have learned more about his team and at least the discipline and shape looked a bit better against a top side. Let's see what he can do in the two weeks before Brentford.

PLAYER RATINGS: Areola 6; Wan-Bissaka 5; Kilman 6, Mavropanos 6, Diouf 5; Bowen 5, Paqueta 6, Magassa 5 (Potts 5), Fernandes 6, Summerville 6; Fullkrug 5 (Marshall 5).

Bowen bags battling point at Everton

Everton 1 West Ham 1

We're at the Floirin in Holloway Road for the start of the Nuno Espirito Santo era. North London Irons Matt, Chief Super Sub Lisa and Denis join me over some well-kept pints of Guinness (at only £4.90 a pint) and lashings of Tayto crisps. Ward-Prowse is out of the squad, which seems a little unfair on a good pro, as is Todibo, while Magassa starts.

The first half sees a lot of Everton pressure and some grittier defending from the Hammers with Kilman and Mavropanos making some decent blocks. Magassa grows into the game and makes some good tackles, he picks up a yellow card but looks like the big strong CDM we need. Summerville is our likeliest outlet.

Everton take the lead after a corner. Areola makes a good punch away but the ball is recycled to Garner on the left. He's in too much space and Keane gets in front of Fullkrug to score with a thumping header over Areola. It's nearly two when Dewsbury-Hall fluffs another headed chance.

The second half sees West Ham gain in confidence. Summerville latches on to a poor defensive header and forces a good save from Pickford. The equaliser comes when Summerville shows good skill to find Diouf on the left. The full-back appears to be on a moped as he races clear of two defenders and pings in a fine cross. It's headed away by Keane to Bowen, who cuts inside and powers it home aided by a slight deflection. Jarrod runs to the away fan and holds his badge.

The Moyes derby is so exciting that Denis forgets his plans to go home and watch Belfast cop drama Blue Lights. Nuno looks more animated on the bench than Potter, accompanied by a mystery bloke in glasses. 

Areola has to make a fine low save from Garner but it's West Ham who look likelier to win it at the end as they gain a number of corners. Paqueta should shoot but tries to beat a man too many as Moyes starts to look agitated. Freddie Potts is on for the carded Magassa and does well in his cameo while Nuno wastes some time on 94 minutes by bringing on Igor and Irving.

So a morale-boosting away point and a much better performance. Nuno kept it simple and built from a solid defence, which suited these players better. Everyone put in a shift and Jimmy Summerville, Diouf and Bowen had fine games. Now all we have to do is get a result at the Emirates. COYI!

Potter out, Nuno in

So Graham Potter has finally gone and it seems Nuno Espirito Santo is certain to be his replacement. It was a little cruel to let Potter do his press conference on Friday, though you don't expect classy sackings at West Ham under the current ownership. Potter was in deep trouble after the home fans chanted "sacked in the morning!" against Palace. I don't like sacking managers, but there's been few signs of hope since Potter took over. It's not as if we've been playing well and not getting results. 

Potter had a free hit with the second half of last season. He wasn't helped by injuries but apart from a slight improvement defensively the team still looked flat. This season's five defeats out of six have been calamitous and the mood at home games has been apathetic. Yes, he's been let down by the players but conceding six goals from corners points to a basic lack of organisation in defence and the lack of a set-piece coach. His midfield reinforcements arrived late and Hermansen has proved a poor signing so far in goal. Another problem has been Potter's lack of charisma. It's ok to be calm in a crisis but he's failed to galvanise the fans and too often lapses into middle-management speak when the fans want a bit of passion and some pithy quotes.

Will Nuno Espirito Santo be a good fit? His record at Wolves and Forest is certainly impressive and he's used to dealing with a difficult chairman. Signing Milenkovic and Murillo proves he can spot a good centre back and he got the best out of an ageing striker in Chris Wood, so hopefully he might do the same for Fullkrug and Wilson. It would be back to counter-attacking football, which is ok with me if done effectively, and Nuno will hope that Bowen and Summerville can do similar jobs to Elanga and Hudson-Odoi at Forest. If the new gaffer is in charge at Everton then it will give us more cause for optimism.

But the biggest problem at West Ham has been the ownership not the managers. David Sullivan has certainly spent some money, but he's veered all over the place in terms of club direction. He listened to the voices on the phone-ins instead of having the strength to keep Moyes after a ninth placed finish and Europa League quarter-final. Throughout his tenure the club has gone from pragmatic to romantic managers and back again, all with scattergun recruitment. Since Moyes we've had three managers and two recruitment gurus in Tim Steidten and Kyle Macauley. Again it's a hasty appointment made in panic mode, but let's hope the club might have got it right this time.