West Ham’s board are furious in the aftermath of the Wolves debacle, telling Nuno Espirito Santo and fans exactly what they think is needed to have any hope of survival.
The humiliating nature of West Ham’s 3-0 defeat to previously winless Wolves has sent shockwaves across football.
From football greats like Alan Shearer to Hammers legends such as Tony Cottee, the first half performance has been labelled the worst ever seen from a Premier League team.
It certainly felt that way for West Ham’s loyal away following, who turned on the team as they watched the shambles unfold at Molineux.
The Hammers now look almost certain to be relegated.
The last time West Ham went down in 2011, they had 21 points at this stage of the season.
Pressure piles on Nuno amid West Ham shambles
Nuno Espirito Santo’s side have seven less with 14 – and will soon need to win every other game to have a hope of avoiding the dreaded drop.
The Portuguese has only been in post for just over three months, but has already faced speculation over his future on four separate occasions.
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West Ham responded to the latest Nuno sack claims ahead of a run of games against Fulham, Brighton and Wolves, insisting they are backing the manager.
The situation has worsened since then, though, with the Hammers taking a measly solitary point from nine available in those matches.
There has been friction between the owners and manager over transfers since.
Nuno hit back after the board accused him of being ‘very slow’ to approve signings.
West Ham have signed little-known Brazilian forward Pablo for £20m and made it clear in the announcement that he is a player requested by the manager.
It felt very much like the owners piling the pressure on the head coach.
Although he is managing that himself just fine by leading the Hammers to a winless run now stretching across nine games.
West Ham looked like they had turned the corner with back-to-back wins over Newcastle and Burnley before a draw at Bournemouth.
West Ham board rage at Wolves debacle
But throwing away a 2-0 lead at the Vitality seems to have had a major impact on the team and the mentality since.
Nobody saw the performance at Wolves coming, though.
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Especially as most expected the Hammers to be buoyed by Forest losing at Villa in the early kick-off – which gave Nuno’s side the chance to climb out of the relegation zone with back-to-back victories over Wolves and the Tricky Trees on Tuesday night.
West Ham fans are furious at the situation with many calling for Nuno’s head.
He looked a defeated man when he sat sulking on the bench throughout the Wolves defeat before disappearing down the tunnel at full-time without acknowledging the travelling support.
Now the West Ham board have raged at the Wolves debacle and have told under-fire Nuno what is needed.
Hammers News put it to the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners that the manner of performance at Wolves was simply unacceptable and the worst since the 6-0 defeat to Reading back in 2007.
It was also put to the board that fans are extremely disheartened by the lack of response from the players since the appointment of Nuno.
In response, West Ham’s board labelled the display ‘terrible’ and what they believe will be key to turning things around.
Hammers board tell under-fire Nuno what is needed
“It was a terrible performance, there is no hiding from that,” the top spokesman for West Ham’s owners told Hammers News.
“We need (Lucas) Paqueta and (Jean-Clair) Todibo back plus the El Hadji Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka from AFCON.
“Then that will give us a chance.”
There was no mention of new signings making a difference, suggesting the board may not necessarily be convinced by Nuno’s picks.
Time will tell on that front but with debts mounting and relegation a distinct possibility, the club may need a major reset from top to bottom with some dark times ahead before things get better.
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