Sportsupdated 1h ago3 min read
Archive photo · 11 October 2022West Ham Sack Nuno Espirito Santo, Set Scott Parker As New Head Coach
“Nuno failed to save West Ham from relegation to the Championship last season”
“The 52-year-old Portuguese head coach has paid the price for West Ham's disappointing start”
Photo: Arne Müseler / www.arne-mueseler.com, CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Cropped for layout
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Nuno Espirito Santo sacked as West Ham head coach after poor start. Scott Parker lined up to replace him as manager.
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Nuno sacked, Parker lined up
West Ham United sacked head coach Nuno Espirito Santo after the club’s “thorough review” of the start to the EFL Championship season, and the board said a change was needed to keep the club’s “objectives and expectations remain on track.” West Ham prepared for Wednesday night’s Championship trip to Cardiff City with Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville taking temporary charge after Rui Pedro Silva and Rui Barbosa also left the club. Scott Parker, a former West Ham midfielder who made 129 appearances for the Hammers between 2007 and 2011, was described as being in advanced talks and close to being appointed as the new head coach.
West Ham sat eighth in the Championship, six points behind leaders Middlesbrough, after losing back-to-back home matches to Southampton and West Bromwich Albion, including a 3-1 defeat by West Brom on Saturday. The club’s statement said the “process of recruiting a new head coach is already under way,” as Parker was expected to take the reins ahead of the Cardiff fixture.
Pressure, defeats, and quotes
Nuno Espirito Santo left his position with immediate effect on Tuesday morning after back-to-back home defeats to Southampton and West Brom, leaving West Ham six points off the top of the table and four points off the Championship automatic promotion spots. Sky Sports News said discussions with Parker were at an advanced stage, and the report pointed to West Ham’s sixth win from their first 13 matches as the context for the board’s decision.
Nuno told Sky Sports that “Many things went wrong - many, many things,” and he said the idea was to start well but “after West Bromwich scored it was very difficult.” Billy Sharp said on the EFL Show that “Nuno knew he was going to be under pressure if he didn't hit the ground running,” and Sharp added that “people were on his case from the get-go.”
Promotion push and squad stakes
West Ham’s immediate aim centered on an instant return to the Premier League, with BBC Sport chief football news reporter Simon Stone saying “it is imperative the club goes straight back up to the Premier League.” West Ham’s season had produced only two league victories since, including a 6-0 win at nine-man Lincoln City and a 1-0 victory at Swansea City, while the club had dropped from second place after the back-to-back home defeats. West Ham invested heavily over the summer, breaking the Championship transfer record to sign midfielder Arne Engels from Celtic for £22million, and the club also spent a reported £12m on Norwegian winger Edvin Austbo.
The BBC said West Ham had posted losses of more than £104m and had to sell players over the summer, with the departures of Mateus Fernandes, Crysencio Summerville, El Hadji Malick Diouf, James Ward-Prowse and Freddie Potts securing the club about £150m in transfer revenue. West Ham’s next fixtures included Wednesday’s trip to Cardiff City, and the club’s temporary staff would prepare the squad as Parker sought to turn around a run that had left West Ham four points off the automatic promotion spots.