‘Shocking, pathetic and embarrassing’ – can Nuno save West Ham?

For West Ham and manager Nuno Espirito Santo, the picture looks bleak.

A hapless 3-0 defeat by bottom side Wolves on Saturday came as a stark reality check for the Hammers.

They remain in the drop zone with 14 points from 20 games and are four points behind Nottingham Forest, who they host on Tuesday in what feels like a match that could define their season.

But they will head into the fixture at London Stadium short of momentum, lacking confidence and with unrest in the stands bubbling.

History also offers little comfort for the Hammers faithful.

Only six teams with 14 points or fewer at this stage of the season have avoided relegation at the end of the campaign.

“[West Ham] were awful,” former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I don’t like using the word, but West Ham were pathetic. They offered nothing.

“Players pulling out of challenges, not throwing themselves at the ball, it was as bad as I’ve seen from any team.”

On an afternoon when his side were dragged further into the relegation fight, Nuno’s verdict was equally damning.

The Hammers boss apologised to fans, saying: “It was embarrassing.

“Today was the worst performance that we have had. I don’t recall one day that I felt so bad in a football pitch.

“It’s not about my future. It’s about how can we get out of this situation, how can we improve and get the results that make us climb the table. This is what we are concerned about.”

The Portuguese tactician took over from Graham Potter with the club 19th in September, but with the Hammers still languishing in the bottom three, is time running out for him and his players to affect the outcome?

Match statistics at Molineux reflected underlying issues that have persisted for West Ham since Nuno replaced Potter in September.

They failed to have a shot on target throughout the match, recording an expected goals total of just 0.25.

But it is perhaps failings at the other end of the pitch that are most concerning – West Ham are yet to keep a clean sheet since Nuno’s arrival.

A close look at their per-game metrics shows a decline in almost every area since Potter was sacked. Under the Englishman, West Ham won more points per game, scored more goals and conceded fewer than Nuno’s.

The 51-year-old Nuno’s attempt to switch to a transitional, counter-attacking style simply hasn’t worked – with a must-win match up next against his former club Forest on Tuesday.

“The way you lose games is also important,” former West Ham and Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe told BBC Sport.

“You can talk about working hard, but everyone works hard. The difference is, can you compete? Will you win second balls, will you get a block in on the edge of the area? And West Ham just aren’t competing.”

Next up for them is a relegation six-pointer at home to Sean Dyche’s Forest, who sit directly above them in the table. It is a fixture that could shape Nuno’s future.

A win against the club that sacked him in September after 21 months in charge might buy him some more time, but a defeat would deepen the crisis and amplify the noise surrounding his position.

“Nobody expected us to play so bad,” Nuno added on BBC Match of the Day.

“Now is the moment for us to reflect and think, are we doing everything we can? Do we realise the situation we are in? And how to get out of this situation and improve. There are things that need to be addressed.

“Forest will be a tough game, but now is about reacting and transforming and improving.”

The last side to avoid relegation after having fewer than West Ham‘s 14 points at this stage of the season were Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who had just 12 after 20 games in 2021-22.

But they spent £85m in January to bolster their squad with Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett and finished 11th with 49 points after winning 12 of their remaining 18 games.

Although West Ham are committed to backing the manager in the January window, it is highly unlikely Nuno will get the kind of financial support Howe received.

They have already signed Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe from Portuguese club Gil Vicente for a reported fee of 25m euros (£21.8m), and he was an unused substitute at Molineux, but they have sent German forward Niclas Fullkrug to AC Milan on loan.

“It is a complex situation,” added Nuno, when asked about the club’s prospects in the transfer market.

“The club is working on that situation [of transfers]. We have problems in terms of squad and options but that is not a justification for what we did in the first half – the mistakes we made, the lack of effort… it was very bad.

“It was about mistakes we made over and over again that was really poor.”

Paul, Norfolk: Clueless, disorganised, weak. That’s what hurts, it’s not just losing, it’s losing like this. What I’m angry about isn’t Wolves winning, it’s the embarrassment of this collapse. Supporting West Ham means caring more than the people running it. Today is a brutal reminder of that.

Martin: Not a chance West Ham would be in this mess if [David] Moyes had stayed. He was forced out because fans and board had delusions of grandeur after Moyes won the club silverware and now it’s a relegation battle the club look ill equipped for.

Dean, Warsaw: If I were a Leeds or Forest fan, I wouldn’t be too concerned of the prospect of relegation come May regardless of results today. No way either West Ham or Burnley are finishing above them. London Stadium just doesn’t hold the same fear factor as Elland Road or City Ground.

Andrew, London: I’ve been a West Ham supporter for 50 years. It saddens me to say but relegation may be the only way forward to rescue this club from the poor quality ownership that belittles this once proud club. No leadership, no fight, no direction, no common sense!

Mark, London: We deserve to be relegated. Years of terrible management shouldn’t go unpunished. The West Ham owners have no strategic vision and have appointed a succession of out-of-work managers who were out of work for a reason. Need a clearout top to bottom and a total reset.