6 days ago
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24 mins: Nathan Collins gets to the ball first, but can’t keep his header down. Brentford, by the way, are in their third kit – which I’ll say is a very pale blue with peach and burgundy trim. It’s quite nice.
23 mins: West Ham briefly down to 10 as Soucek hobbles off, but he’s quickly back to defend a Brentford free kick …
22 mins: Soucek is down receiving treatment, allowing Nuno to have a word with his attacking players.
21 mins: West Ham were utterly incapable of defending at set pieces under Graham Potter, so these long throws from Kayode are a welcome test for Nuno. The latest one has Areola flapping, but they just about deal with it.
20 mins: Schade gets in a tangle with Scarles in the area and appeals for a penalty, but there’s nothing doing.
19 mins: A first half-chance for the hosts as Todibo nicks the ball from Damsgaard and finds Paqueta, in the false nine position. He flicks a pass to Bowen, whose hopeful effort across goal looked closer than it was on first viewing.
18 mins: Todibo hoofs it out for a throw-in, and signals to his fellow defenders to get ready. Kayode heaves it in and the ball ricochets to Thiago. The big striker can’t hook his shot on target, and is penalised for a high boot anyway.
16 mins: Both of these teams are set up to play on the break, but you can’t counterattack until someone attacks. Brentford have had more of the ball but it’s all a bit ponderous at the moment.
14 mins: Thiago holds the ball up well and finds Kayode, whose swinging cross almost connects with Schade. The visitors probably shading the first 15 minutes here.
“I understand and support the boycott,” says Mary Waltz. “But it will only work if they keep it going all season. Owners don’t give a toss about what people like us think, unless we hurt their pocket. Then they listen.”
12 mins: Henderson looks for Schade with a long ball, but the reshuffled West Ham back line deal with it.
10 mins: Collins is caught on the ball and Fernandes suddenly has options – but opts to shoot rather than play it wide. His effort deflects behind, and the corner is cleared.
8 mins: Schade continues to offer nuisance value but can’t quite steer a looping header inside the far post.
6 mins: From pitchside, there are clearly a few patches of empty seats around the stadium. The atmosphere also feels pretty flat after a rousing start.
4 mins: Brentford look to hit on the break but Schade’s shot from a tight angle only ripples the side netting. A worry for the visitors, though, as long-throw machine Michael Kayode is down holding his knee.
3 mins: Irving then trots across to take the third corner from the other side, and this time Brentford get the ball clear.
2 mins: Irving takes the first corner, which is cleared for a second. His delivery looks to be looping beyond the far post, but Schade nods it behind just to be sure.
1 min: An early sign of intent from West Ham, with Summerville galloping down the right and earning a corner.
First half
Both sets of players take the knee before Andy Madley gets the game under way.
Here we go! The players are out at the London Stadium, which looks pretty full to me. Can the hosts deliver a first home win here since February?
“This could be fun,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “Nuno will surely get more of a tune out of the Hammers in the 10 days he’s had than Potter could have done in 10 years. Keith Andrews’ ‘pace and chaos’ could be the perfect foil for Nuno’s thoughtful approach. As a Leeds fan I’m already worrying about Friday night at Fortress (?) Elland and how Nuno will unpick us. 2-1 Hammers tonight.”
More on that planned boycott, led by fan group Hammers United. They’ve called for fans to stay away tonight, in protest at the club hierarchy. “West Ham was built by working people who stood up for what’s right,” Andy McConnell, joint secretary of Hammers United, told the Evening Standard. “Boycotting this game is a stand in that same tradition — not against the players, but against years of incompetence and broken promises from the very top.”
“We have good options and solutions, starting and on the bench” Nuno tells Sky. “It’s a great chance for us to connect with our fans,” he says, and brushes off concerns over a potential fan boycott tonight.
On Brentford, he adds: “a very good team, same threat as under Thomas Frank, very dangerous on set pieces.” And will Bowen lead the line? “You’ll find out in an hour!” He seems in a good mood, at least.
Brentford’s last away game – a 3-1 defeat to Fulham – was exactly a month ago, and since then they’ve beaten Manchester United and lost to City at home. Appearing on Monday Night Football, Keith Andrews reveals he is going with three up top, having largely used a 5-3-2 setup in recent games. He also plans to continue embracing pace and chaos, telling Sky “we handle it better than a lot of other teams”.
Nuno has sprung some surprises in that line-up, with youngster Ollie Scarles in at left-back and Andy Irving making just his second Premier League start. With Niclas Füllkrug injured, it’s unclear who will start as centre-forward – my best guess would be Jarrod Bowen, but Summerville and Paquetá can also step in to that role.
Team news
West Ham (4-3-3): Areola; Walker-Peters, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles; Irving, Soucek, Fernandes; Summerville, Bowen (c), Lucas Paquetá.
Subs: Hermansen, Wilson, Diouf, Mavropanos, Rodríguez, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Potts, Marshall.
Brentford (4-3-3): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins (c), Van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmolyuk, Damsgaard; Ouattara, Schade, Thiago.
Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Nelson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt.
Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire)
Catch up with the weekend’s key Premier League moments here:
Preamble
Welcome to the Nuno Zone. West Ham, the team currently managed by Nuno Espírito Santo, kick off here 19th in the table, sandwiched between two other clubs he previously managed – Wolves and Nottingham Forest, where the wheels have fallen off spectacularly since he left just under six weeks ago.
Nuno might still look like the man who walked away unscathed from an escalating bin fire, but West Ham’s next four games might be crucial if he is to do what everyone expects and carry them clear of danger in a sensible fashion. They face four of the five teams immediately above the Nuno Zone with a trip to Leeds before home assignments against Newcastle and Burnley.
Turning around West Ham’s awful home form is top of Nuno’s to-do list: almost a month into his tenure, this is his first game in charge at the London Stadium. Tonight’s opponents at least have an equally poor away record – no points from three games, including a defeat to Nuno’s Forest in the distant fog of August.
Head-to-head form is very much in Brentford’s favour, though: in eight Premier League meetings, West Ham have won just once. Keith Andrews’ side will also sense a chance to move away from danger tonight. Kick-off: 8pm BST.
