New West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has waded into the civil war between fans and owners for the first time since his appointment last week.
When Nuno Espirito Santo took over from Graham Potter somewhat out of the blue last weekend, he walked straight into the eye of a West Ham storm.
West Ham majority owner David Sullivan was reportedly content to hold off sacking Potter until the October international break.
The rationale being that Everton and Arsenal away were daunting fixtures for any new manager to start their Hammers tenure.
Potter was sacked abruptly, though, when Nuno declared to Sullivan he wanted that particular West Ham challenge.
And take it on he did.
Nuno wades into West Ham civil war
The Portuguese sounded like a man on a mission from his first interviewing, vowing to make life ‘hell’ for the opposition at the London Stadium once he gets the team playing his way.
West Ham fans were more revved up after one interview from Nuno than they were in the entire time under his predecessor and Julen Lopetegui before him.
The Hammers put in one of their better performances for some time as they came away from Everton with a deserved point.
West Ham could have won the game but the display and result laid a foundation from which Nuno can build.
Amid all the fanfare around his appointment, the spotlight moved away from the bigger picture playing out at the London Stadium.
The new head coach takes over at a time when West Ham fans are protesting against Sullivan, vice-chair Karren Brady and the board.
Now Nuno has waded into the West Ham civil war and makes one thing perfectly clear.
After a public vote of no confidence in the ownership from West Ham’s Fan Advisory Board, over 4,000 supporters lined the street leading to the director’s entrance in protest before the defeat to Palace which proved to be Potter’s last game.
Away game black balloon protests were cancelled for Nuno’s first game out of respect to Everton’s Bradley Lowery tribute.
They will be back on display at Arsenal, though, as part of Hammers United’s ‘No more BS’ protests.
Fans have vowed to embark on a season-long campaign of activism against the board until their demands for change at the top are met.
Until now, Nuno has managed to avoid becoming embroiled in the battle between Hammers fans and the board who have just employed him.
Plans to boycott the Brentford game – which is Nuno’s first home match in charge – already in place, the big question can’t be avoided forever.
Nuno makes his position clear on West Ham protests
Now Nuno has broken his silence on the protests against Sullivan and co.
And just like most things he has done since his arrival in east London, Nuno appears to have read the room perfectly with his take.
The traps were laid for Nuno by journalists in his pre-match press conference for Arsenal.
They were just doing their job of course and the situation is the elephant in the room at West Ham after all.
Or should that be white elephant in the room given so many of fans’ grievances stem from the move to the London Stadium.
Nuno seems to have called it spot on, though.
Had he come straight out and sided with his new employers or tried to talk fans down from their protests, it would have gone down like a lead balloon among supporters.
But there was none of that. And importantly he did not answer the question like a politician either.
Instead he rightly pointed out that he wants to keep the fan anger towards the board completely separate from the team and focus on creating a bond between the supporters and his players.
Nuno was asked whether he spoke to Sullivan and the board about the fan uprising before being appointed.
And the new head coach has a very straightforward, straight-talking take on the matter, making his stance clear and insisting he has not earned the right to an opinion on the matter yet.
Nuno focused building the most important bond of all
“I think the way we are trying to address it is to bring the fans closer to us (the manager and players), closer and closer to us,” Nuno said in his West Ham press conference.
“The fans were there in Liverpool, the help that they give us was amazing, and again on Saturday they’re going to be there supporting and it’s up to us to give them back all that they are giving (to us).
“All the issues that you mention (between the fans and board), it’s too soon for me to go into and it is something that is not up to me (to comment on).
“My worry is about the bond between the team and the fans because that really is important.
“The boys feel, when they have the help of the fans, they feel free, they feel joy. When this bond is created, it’s really good for the boys.”
Expertly handled and Nuno makes great points about his focus being on repaying fans while creating that unity that has been missing for so long.
When he was pressed on whether he had to choose who he worked for carefully after the fall-out with Evangelos Marinakis at Forest, Nuno made it clear life in football simply doesn’t work like that.
“Listen it’s not like that, it’s not that, we don’t choose (our owners), we are chosen,” Nuno added.
West Ham had the Moyesiah and now they are hoping Nuno will be the chosen one.
