West Ham United: A club in search of itself | OneFootball

For much of the past two seasons, West Ham United have existed in a paradox, a club seemingly too big to struggle, yet too disjointed to thrive. What began as a golden era under David Moyes, capped by their triumphant 2023 Europa Conference League victory, has unravelled into frustration, stagnation, and now, crisis, as the Hammers now find themselves adrift and flirting with relegation. 

 Moyes’ eventual departure at the end of the 2023-24 season surprised no one. For all his achievements, European silverware, mid-table respectability, and a reconnection with the club’s roots, his brand of cautious pragmatism had begun to chafe. Results faltered. Supporters grew restive. The mood demanded evolution, ambition, something bolder.

The Short Tenures: Lopetegui and Potter’s False Dawns

The board pressed reset. First came Julien Lopetegui, architect of an elegant Basque footballing philosophy, whose tenure at the London Stadium lasted a mere 22 matches before the inevitable dismissal. Then Graham Potter, the cerebral tactician whose possession-centric approach had once propelled Brighton into the Premier League’s top four before his swift and brutal unraveling at Chelsea, where he was sacked less than seven months later. Many believed his appointment had the potential to mark a new chapter of ambition, one that would mean West Ham were able to consistently challenge for European places, while simultaneously playing progressive football. Yet, like his predecessor, his reign was short-lived, undone by inconsistency, injuries, and the same structural issues that have haunted every manager in recent memory. Fans who had once tired of Moyes’ cautious pragmatism began to long for it. His football may not have thrilled, but it delivered results.

Deeper Than the Dugout: A Crisis of Leadership

Yet West Ham’s difficulties cannot be laid solely at the feet of their rotating cast of managers. The truth, as Jamie Carragher noted after this week’s 2–0 defeat to Brentford, is that “supporters rarely get it wrong. They know exactly what is going on at this football club, and it’s not down to managers.” The diagnosis is damning. Haphazard recruitment. Antiquated scouting infrastructure. Fragmented decision-making at boardroom level. The consequence is a squad alarmingly unbalanced in composition and, as Carragher bluntly noted, “one of the slowest teams I’ve seen in the Premier League.” 

As the team languishes second from bottom, the supporters’ patience has snapped. Monday night’s boycott, leaving thousands of empty seats at the London Stadium, was more than a protest; it was a cry for relevance. Co-chair of the fan advisory board Andy Payne told BBC Radio 5 Live, “Fans are not the problem. We are the solution waiting to be heard.” His words reflect a growing rift between ownership and supporters, many of whom feel alienated by years of hollow promises and corporate detachment.

Chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady, in charge since 2010, have insisted they are “listening” to fan feedback and “investing significantly” in the football operation. Yet such statements now ring hollow. For all the money spent, over £150m across recent windows, West Ham remain painfully incoherent on the pitch. The sale of Declan Rice two years ago, unaccompanied by any credible replacement, exposed the paucity of strategic vision. The lurching between possession-based and defensive-minded coaches suggests not adaptation but drift, with footballing decisions seemingly calibrated to Sullivan’s shifting whims rather than any coherent philosophy.

Nuno’s Inheritance: A Club Running on Empty

Into this maelstrom stepped Nuno Espírito Santo, the man charged with steadying a ship long set adrift. His arrival was pragmatic, not visionary, another attempt to stop the bleeding rather than cure the disease. Nuno’s early weeks have offered little reprieve: three games, no wins, and an increasingly anxious fanbase. His own words after the Brentford defeat were telling: “You can feel it from our own fans, concern becomes silence, and that silence becomes anxiety. We have a problem.”

Nuno’s tactical tinkering, including his use of inverted full-backs and cautious midfield structures, has so far failed to inspire. The team look paralysed, devoid of confidence, rhythm, and identity. As Gary O’Neil observed on Monday Night Football, “They look lost from a tactical perspective… shot of confidence, not together.” Yet the Portuguese manager cannot be judged too harshly, not yet. He inherited a fractured dressing room and a fanbase at war with itself.

Hope remains, but grows ever thinner

Behind the gloom, faint echoes of resilience remain. West Ham have a history of survival, from near-relegation escapes in the 1970s to European adventure nights that stirred belief anew. But this current crisis feels different. The chasm between the terraces and the boardroom has widened to the point where even victory feels insufficient to heal it.

Yet, a run of results could restore stability, just as quickly as another defeat could deepen despair. Nuno’s immediate challenge is psychological: to rekindle energy, to restore pride. His mantra, “Responsibility, commitment, hard work,” will resonate with a fanbase that values honesty above all. But as history shows, honesty alone cannot fix what has become an institutional problem.

For now, the Hammers’ reality is stark. Relegation is no longer unthinkable; it is a genuine threat. Their next three fixtures, against Leeds, Newcastle, and Burnley, could define the season. More importantly, they could define the club’s direction for years to come.

West Ham once sang of “bubbles” that fade and die. Unless something changes, structurally, not just tactically, those lyrics risk becoming prophecy. From Moyes’ disciplined triumphs to Potter’s brief idealism and Nuno’s uncertain start, every chapter tells the same story: a club searching, still, for itself.

GFN | Finn Entwistle