West Ham might have sacked Nuno Espirito Santo in January, when their winless run stretched to 10 games. He might have gone in May, when that pitiful surrender at Newcastle all but condemned them to the second tier. Relegation could have sealed his fate a week later.
At the fourth time of asking, Nuno leaves with West Ham having won fewer than half their Championship games. That is a damning statistic for a side expected to walk the league.
Six months ago, Nuno was hauled before club bosses to fight for his future and somehow pulled it off. The hierarchy were sufficiently impressed that he was trusted to lead their summer overhaul after losing Crysensio Summerville, Mateus Fernandes and El Hadji Malick Diouf.
A break from Brady and Sullivan
Tuesday was the day Nuno finally ran out of answers. There was no explaining away the dire performances in back-to-back home defeats to Southampton and West Brom that have left the promotion favourites eighth, outside the play-offs. A number of players were understood to be unhappy and bewildered by his tactics, a charge which has followed him from job to job.
There are obvious pros and obvious cons to appointing Scott Parker in his place. Nuno’s football was uninspiring in the Premier League and relegation did not change that – even as the biggest club in the division. You imagine Parker will take West Ham up, and probably with a brand of football that is not eye-catchingly different to Nuno’s.
Parker is expected to take over (Photo: Getty)There is merit in leaving the “what next” for now. Parker was loved as a player, respected as a Championship manager and has a relationship with the sporting director, Mark Noble.
The biggest reason for optimism, though, is that West Ham have done what West Ham never do. Graham Potter and Julen Lopetegui lingered on long after it was clear they would be sacked.
David Sullivan and Karren Brady managed to appoint eight permanent managers in 15 years and still fail to act with any purpose when required. For all the talk of West Ham as a big club – particularly at this level – it is a long time since they have acted like one.
They have spent years vacillating and stalling on managers. If is one thing more unforgivable than the abject player recruitment of the past decade and a half, it might just be that.
Parker’s to-do list
Karim Virani, the acting chief executive, has moved in on Nuno with two thirds of the season left to play. Parker’s to-do list is long: West Ham have conceded first in eight of the last 15 games in all competitions. They have conceded 10 goals in the first 20 minutes of matches this season.
He will have a decision to make on leaving Mads Hermansen in goal and how to address a midfield that is being overrun for 45 minutes every week because neither Arne Engels nor Divine Mukasa provide any defensive cover.
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Championship: Derby County’s form is the least of their worries Daniel Storey: West Ham’s future is uncomfortably fragileHe has summer signings overseen by Nils Koppen that have not been consistent, or in the case of Adama Boiro have barely been used at all. West Ham are actually in the top five Championship sides for fewest shots conceded and yet only Millwall have let in so many goals in the top half.
West Ham are not without leaders but both Potter and Nuno fell into the trap of discarding their most experienced players. Tomas Soucek has made one start in the Championship. Within moments of West Ham posting news of Nuno’s departure it had been liked by Edson Alvarez.
Under the previous ownership there was a near-total absence of leadership from above too. Sullivan oversaw 16 years of decay before Daniel Kretinsky’s takeover and West Ham were in serious danger of wasting one more. This will not be viewed as a sign Kretinsky has got everything right – only that West Ham are not coasting anymore.
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