Image source: bbc.com
West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo apologised to fans after his side suffered a hapless 3-0 defeat by bottom side Wolves on Saturday, describing the performance as embarrassing and the worst since his appointment. The Hammers remain in the relegation zone with 14 points from 20 games, four points behind Nottingham Forest who they face on Tuesday.
Nuno Apologises After West Ham’s Embarrassing 3-0 Defeat to Bottom Side Wolves
West Ham endured a stark reality check at Molineux as they suffered a comprehensive 3-0 defeat to bottom-placed Wolves, leaving them deeper in relegation trouble. The Portuguese manager, who replaced Graham Potter when the club was 19th in September, watched his side fail to register a single shot on target while recording an expected goals total of just 0.25 throughout the match.
Former England striker Alan Shearer delivered a scathing assessment of West Ham’s display, describing their performance as pathetic on BBC Radio 5 Live. “Players pulling out of challenges, not throwing themselves at the ball, it was as bad as I’ve seen from any team,” Shearer said. The defeat extended West Ham’s winless run to nine Premier League matches, their longest streak since the final nine games of the 2010-11 campaign when they were relegated.
Nuno’s post-match verdict proved equally damning as he apologised to the travelling supporters for what he called the worst performance during his tenure. “Today was the worst performance that we have had. I don’t recall one day that I felt so bad in a football pitch,” the 51-year-old admitted. He added that the display was embarrassing and acknowledged that mistakes were made repeatedly throughout the contest, particularly in the first half.
The statistics paint a grim picture for West Ham, who have now conceded 41 goals this season, their most after 20 games in a top-flight campaign since 1965-66. Nuno has gone 26 Premier League games without seeing his side keep a clean sheet across spells at Nottingham Forest and West Ham, with only Steve Kean’s 30-game run with Blackburn between 2011 and 2012 representing a longer streak without a shutout in Premier League history.
Tuesday’s fixture against Nottingham Forest at London Stadium represents a crucial relegation six-pointer that could define both clubs’ seasons. Only six teams with 14 points or fewer at this stage have avoided relegation, with Newcastle’s 2021-22 campaign the most recent example after they spent £85m in January to secure survival. West Ham have signed Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe from Gil Vicente for a reported 25 million euros but sent Niclas Fullkrug to AC Milan on loan, with Nuno acknowledging the club faces a complex transfer situation.
