West Ham icon Tony Cottee was not impressed with Nuno Espirito Santo after their 3-1 defeat to Newcastle.
The former goalscorer attended the game at St. James’ Park as a travelling Hammers supporter for the first time in 46 years.
Unfortunately, the West Ham players did not give Cottee and his fellow fans much to shout about throughout the game.
The 60-year-old blames Nuno’s strange tactical decision for the Irons’ woeful performance with relegation on the line.
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We are all but relegated — how would you feel about keeping Nuno in the Championship? 🧑💼
Or was that performance the last straw? 😡
Tony Cottee explains where Nuno Espirito Santo went wrong in Newcastle defeat
West Ham have typically played a 4-4-2 formation under Nuno, occasionally switching to a 3-4-3 in more difficult games.
The Hammers played a 3-4-3 to great effect against Arsenal, soaking up pressure and hitting them on the counter-attack.
However, given that West Ham needed to beat Newcastle, many expected Nuno to revert to a 4-4-2 system.
Instead, the Portuguese boss stuck with the three-at-the-back formation against Newcastle, with Callum Wilson up front.
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The Hammers immediately looked out of sorts, attempting to play an attacking style with a defensive line-up.
It was clear to see that Nuno’s tactics caused several defensive issues and played a part in Newcastle scoring three goals.
Tony Cottee did not shy away from holding Nuno accountable for West Ham’s “really poor” display at St. James’ Park.
Cottee posted on X: “Really poor performance… Three at the back when you’ve got to win? Nuno’s at fault for this!
“Too many players not good enough… Championship here we come! Total clear-out needed from top to bottom… I feel really sorry for our magnificent fans.”
Nuno’s mistake was proven by the team’s improvement after he brought Taty Castellanos on for Jean-Clair Todibo.
He will probably learn from his mistake by playing a 4-4-2 against Leeds, but it could be too little too late to stay up.
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