West Ham United

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo spoke to Sky Sports after his side's defeat away to Leeds on Friday: "It's a simple explanation. We didn't deal with the problems. We didn't deal with many things. We have to work hard and be much better. I feel the players want to, but they switch off in many moments.

On first half changes: "It was not working out and we needed to make a change. We were not dealing with our defensive situations and felt like we needed a striker to hold the ball, so maybe that's not the greatest from me. These kind of mistakes are unacceptable in the Premier League.

"In the second half we played good, but 45 minutes is not enough after you start so badly and have a mountain to climb. There is still time. It is our responsibility to get the best out of the players.

"Tomorrow we work. Now is the time for sadness. Let's keep on going. We need the fans since we arrive, it's up to us. We need to give them something to deserve that support."

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen also spoke to Sky Sports after the match: "Not good enough. We started well against Brentford the other day and wanted to do the same, but the way we defended the goal was really poor. We wanted to get back into it. From a corner again, it's not brave enough. It always felt like one goal could get a bit of confidence. We did that, but it's too late.

"Probably a lot of reasons why. But a dressing room when you're second bottom of the league is low. The only way this will change is if we step up and show some fight. We need more of that.

"It's easy to hide and be scared almost. It's easier said and harder to do sometimes. Roll your sleeves up and dig in. No one will give this to us. We're in a real situation and we have to face the reality of that. You have to face up to the reality of where we are and we're in trouble now.

"We have to go out there and fight more than anything. The Premier League is the hardest league. We're not playing well and not getting results. We need to change it. We're the only ones that can change it.

"We've talked as a group, but it's down to the players as well. We speak to each other, but there's only so much. It's got to come from within. We can show it a lot more. Nine games we've had, one win and we're second bottom. We haven't been great at home, but now is the time to roll your sleeves up."

Did you know?

• West Ham have conceded nine goals from corners in the Premier League this season which is triple the amount of any other side (Aston Villa, Fulham and Leeds all on three). It's the most of any side in the history of the competition after the opening nine games.

• Nuno Espirito Santo (D1 L3) is the first West Ham manager to fail to win any of his first four Premier League games in charge since Manuel Pellegrini in September 2018.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on Leeds United's performance

What did you make of West Ham's display?

Come back on Saturday for a selection of your replies

Leeds make four changes to the side that started their 2-0 Premier League defeat at Burnley last Saturday.

Lucas Perri starts in goal, while Jaka Bijol, Noah Okafor and Ao Tanaka come in as Karl Darlow, Pascal Struijk, Anton Stach and Jack Harrison drop to the bench.

West Ham make two changes to the team that began their 2-0 loss at home to Brentford on Monday.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf both start, in place of Kyle Walker-Peters and Mateus Fernandes.

Paul Birch
BBC Sport Journalist

Struggling West Ham United travel to Elland Road chasing a first win under new boss Nuno Espirito Santo as they take on a Leeds United side who have managed just one league victory since the opening weekend. BBC Sport takes a look at some of the key themes ahead of their Friday night clash.

While Elland Road is regarded as one of the most hostile grounds to visit in English football, West Ham's players might actually be relived to be playing there given the toxic atmosphere that has enveloped their own London Stadium of late.

The loss to Brentford on Monday saw them register five successive top-flight home defeats for only the second time in their history after previously doing so back in April 1931.

Not only that, but their tally of just four points after eight games (converting results to three points for a win) is the Hammers' joint worst start to a top-flight season along with the 1973-74 and 1988-89 campaigns.

Nuno Espirito Santo's reign has not got off to a great start and he goes into this game having claimed a solitary point from three matches. The last West Ham manager to fail to win any of their first four games in charge was Manuel Pellegrini in September 2018.

They have the anomaly of following up a Monday night match with another fixture under the lights on Friday. The Hammers can at least fall back on an excellent recent record against Leeds. Four wins in their last six league games (D1, L1) against the Yorkshire side is as many as they had managed in their previous 37 encounters.

Image source, BBC Sport

There may not be many more Premier League matches this season that finish 2-0 when the losing side have been as statistically dominant as Leeds United were in defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor.

Leeds were way ahead in almost every attacking metric bar the one that matters, goals. As ever in football, results are all that matter and the Clarets' victory means they are now only a point behind Leeds' tally of eight.

If West Ham win they will also be just a point adrift of Daniel Farke's side and a hat-trick of defeats will make the promising start they made to life back in the Premier League feel like a distant memory. Their expected points tally is 12.8, a full 4.8 more than their actual total, highlighting how they have failed to capitalise on good performances.

After surrendering their 23-match unbeaten run in home league games to Tottenham three weeks ago, the Whites will be keen to establish Elland Road as a fortress again in a game that feels crucial despite it still being October.

Image source, BBC Sport

We know why Nuno Espirito Santo was brought in - to keep West Ham up - but it looks like it is going to be difficult for him.

He is still waiting for his first win after three games as Hammers manager, and his side were quite lucky to only lose 2-0 against Brentford on Monday.

Whenever I watch a team play as poorly as West Ham did then, I wonder how they will ever win a game.

Leeds are not on a great run either, but I still feel like they've been competitive when I've seen them.

Most people would probably go for a draw here - that's what I'm expecting from the readers anyway - but I actually think Leeds might edge this one.

I have a feeling West Ham will score, because Jarrod Bowen is always dangerous, but I don't fancy them to keep a clean sheet even though sorting out their defence is probably Nuno's priority.

Sutton's prediction: 2-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Joshua Zirkzee will ask to leave Manchester United in the January transfer window, with West Ham currently leading the race to sign the 24-year-old forward. (Mirror), external

Zirkzee would prefer to stay in the Premier League as he looks to earn a place in the Netherlands' World Cup squad. (Star), external

West Ham, Aston Villa and AC Milan are among the clubs interested in 31-year-old Manchester City and Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic. (Caught Offside), external

Want more transfer news? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

West Ham United are keen on 24-year-old Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee and could try to sign him on loan from Manchester United in January. (i Paper), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Friday's Premier League game against Leeds United at Elland Road (kick-off 20:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Nuno confirmed that Konstantinos Mavropanos is out with injury. The defender will have a scan to "see the real injury that he has", but the Forest boss was unable give a timeframe for his return.

• He feels West Ham "still have problems" and were "not good enough" against Brentford: "Concern is that the improvement must come from the players individually. [It is the] responsibility of the players to win their own games, the duels. Then, for sure, as a team we are going to improve."

• Nuno added: "It is up to us to connect the fans. It is up to us that the fans go to the stadium and see something they enjoy. It is on our side."

• On whether he can sense anxieties in the players at home: "I felt it [anxiety] on the players. They were rushing their decisions. I see them work every day. We have quality and talent to make five-yard passes, but they were not happening. It is up to us to tell the players to play their game, try to ignore [outside noise] and focus on what is happening on the pitch."

• When asked whether the squad needs help in the January transfer window, Nuno said: "It is us who is going to solve our problems. Us who is in the building, not us who is outside. We must solve our own problems."

• On areas to improve: "We have to improve our players. We need to improve their fitness, tactical awareness - everything. We concede a lot of set-pieces - too many - but we defend them pretty well. We are improving on that but we need to improve on not conceding. Some of them are easy situations we can solve."

• He added that it is not just about the defence and they need the "freedom to attack" also, while focusing on forward Lucas Paqueta: "Maybe it's the other way around. We have to improve Lucas - to get the best out of him. He can do a lot of things. We have the pieces to get the best out of him. We have speed in front. Now let's find solutions inside the team so that Lucas can deliver hs best."

Follow all of Wednesday's news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

West Ham are targeting at least three players - a striker, a midfielder and a defender - in January as they seek to turn their fortunes around. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

James Jones
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Monday night at London Stadium marked a pretty dark day in West Ham's modern history.

Hammers fans, disgruntled by David Sullivan and Karren Brady's running of the club, staged a boycott of Nuno Espirito Santo's first home game in charge against Brentford. A series of broken promises, poor recruitment and the overall mismanagement of a big London club rightly has them demanding a change at board level.

The move to London Stadium from Upton Park is at the very top of the list of things fans are angry about. Supporters were not consulted about the move and were then promised "a world-class stadium for a world-class team".

Nine and a half years later, West Ham are 19th in the Premier League and there is absolutely nothing about the club or the stadium that can be described as "world class".

The arena is not what was promised and it shows, with the lower tier resting on scaffolding while fans struggle to grow any kind of affection for a home which, three seasons in Europe and Conference League title aside, has mostly hosted relegation-threatened seasons.

As a result, fans were well within their rights to voice their anger at the direction in which the club is heading by simply not turning up on Monday. Early estimates suggest London Stadium was about 60% full, despite an air of optimism surrounding Nuno's start to his tenure.

Fans still spoke with their feet regardless of their hopes of seeing a first home win since February.

A 2-0 loss, a flat atmosphere and boos at the full-time whistle only compounded the club's woes as it desperately tried to flog cheap tickets and fill the lower tiers (to avoid so many empty seats being on display in front of Sky's cameras) before a ball had been kicked.

Now, relegation is a real and serious concern. There is so much wrong with the club and the board is to blame for much of that - they are overseeing the death of a once great club.

Until things change at the top, fans will continue to find ways to protest.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

Tom McCoy
BBC Sport journalist

Brentford took full advantage of a passive display by West Ham to produce one of their most dominant away performances in the Premier League.

They had 42 touches in the opposition box and registered 22 shots, with both figures their highest in a top-flight game on the road since promotion in 2021.

Several of the visitors' other key metrics, including expected goals, also ranked amongst their best as the Bees produced what head coach Keith Andrews called their "most complete performance of the season".

The concern for Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo will be just how one-sided the game was – and why his side weren't more competitive.

Image source, BBC Sport

Last night's 2-0 defeat to Brentford marked the first time West Ham have lost their opening four home games in a league season.

It was also just the second occasion that the Hammers have lost five successive top-flight matches at home, with the previous coming almost 100 years ago.

Between February and April in the 1930-31 campaign they were beaten at Upton Park by Grimsby Town (3-4), Arsenal (2-4), Birmingham City (1-2), Derby County (0-1) and Bolton Wanderers (1-4).

They finished 18th and narrowly missed relegation, however they finished bottom of the league in the following season.

We asked for your thoughts after Monday's Premier League match between West Ham United and Brentford.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans:

Blake: Absolutely shocking performance from West ham. Absolutely no urgency anywhere on the pitch and everyone looked tired. Need to have a big look at ourselves and try again.

Jade: That's one of the worst performances I've seen from us in years (and I've seen some stinkers). What exactly was Nuno's plan tonight? No striker, full-backs playing on the wrong sides, a midfield with no presence - looked like 11 strangers out there. No cohesion, identity or fight - utterly toothless.

Roger: Expected so much more passion on the pitch for the new gaffer's first home game. Time for some radical action. 17-year-old Airidas Golambeckis is our best young player since Rice.

Robbie: Poor West Ham team, not a one off, major problems ahead.

Brentford fans:

Mike: Andrews quietly silencing the doubters. Young coach learning game by game, will be there for many years I feel. Well don't Bees.

Lee: Brentford looked much fitter than West Ham. The Hammers looked very lethargic.

Drew: Only consolation for West Ham United tonight was the scoreline. Brentford should've been in double figures. Worst performance by a Premier League team I've seen in years. Brentford's Thiago looks some player. Brentford will be OK with the quality they've got throughout the squad.

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo speaking to BBC Sport following the 2-0 defeat to Brentford: "It was tough. Not just for me. It was tough for our fans, for our players, for everybody.

"The first 15 minutes things were clicking and the team were organised and combining well. After that we lost composure.

"Credit to Brentford, a physical team that put us under problems. Throw-ins, corners and the momentum of the game changed."

On his half-time changes: "We were being fragile at the back. It was almost 0-2 [after the VAR disallowed goal] and it becomes harder."

On whether he is still learning about his players: "Every day. Every moment. We're not going to sleep. "It's a challenge for all of us. It's up to us to change the momentum and bring our fans back to support us In four days time we need a big improvement."

Did you know?

• West Ham United have lost five successive home games in the top-flight for the second time in their history, previously doing so in April 1931.

Michael Emons
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

It is hard to imagine how Nuno Espirito Santo's first home game in charge of West Ham could have gone any worse

This was a miserable night on and off the pitch for the hosts.

There were plenty of empty seats amid the latest phase of protests organised by fan group Hammers United, who want chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to leave.

Those who were there then booed the team off at half-time, most had left long before the final whistle with the few that did stay again displaying their frustration at the final whistle.

The Hammers have now lost their first four home league games, and did not deserve anything from a woeful showing against a Brentford side that had not picked up a point on their travels before coming to London Stadium.

Apart from one bright run from Crysencio Summerville from the halfway line to the penalty area and Jarrod Bowen's low strike being saved, there was little to excite West Ham fans.

This was a painful reality check of how big a challenge Nuno faces as he attempts to keep West Ham in the top flight. On this evidence, the Hammers face a long season and a relegation battle.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

Have your say on West Ham's performance

What did you make of Brentford's display?

Come back on Tuesday for a selection of your replies