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.