Nuno Espírito Santo apologised to West Ham’s fans after his team lost 3-0 at Wolves, describing it as his worst day in football, but insisted he had the desire to keep fighting to get the team out of the relegation zone.
West Ham are winless in nine matches after succumbing to rock-bottom Wolves. The result leaves the Hammers four points adrift of 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, whom they face on Tuesday. Nuno, who immediately walked down the tunnel at full time without shaking hands with Rob Edwards, has won two of his 15 Premier League games in charge since taking over from Graham Potter in September.
Nuno, who did subsequently see Edwards, said: “I don’t recall one day that I felt so bad on a football pitch like today. I have to apologise to the fans. For those that travelled, it was embarrassing. There’s not much I can say other than we are sorry. We are sorry because what we showed was not good enough. Today was the worst performance we had.”
The former Wolves head coach had witnessed his side fail to get a shot on target against a team who had previously failed to keep a clean sheet.
“Of course,” Nuno said, when asked if he had the desire and determination to carry on. “It’s not about my future. It’s about how we can get out of this situation, how we can improve and get the results that make us climb the table. This is what we are concerned about. Now is the moment to reflect, to think, to speak among ourselves, to see if we are strong enough to solve it.”
• The side starting the day bottom has won just two of their last 32 Premier League games (D6 L24), with both victories coming against teams managed by Nuno Espírito Santo (Wolves v West Ham today, and West Ham at Nottingham Forest in August).
• Nuno Espírito Santo has gone 26 Premier League games without seeing his side keep a clean sheet, across spells at Nottingham Forest and West Ham. Only Steve Kean (30 between May 2011 and March 2012) has gone longer without a shutout among managers in the competition’s history.
• West Ham’s Nuno Espírito Santo is the first manager in Premier League history to lose against teams starting the day bottom of the table with two different clubs in the same season (also 3-0 with Nottingham Forest against West Ham in August). Opta
The West Ham defender Konstantinos Mavropanos said of his head coach: “For him so far it’s difficult, for the fans especially. I don’t think this team deserve to be in this situation.
“I’ll say it again: the only people who can change the situation is us. We have to bounce back as quick as possible, the next game is in three days, we’re disappointed to come out and lose.”
