A common theme of West Ham United’s defeats, before Graham Potter was replaced by Nuno Espirito Santo last month, involved a desperate manager trying to find the smallest of silver linings.
Even after heavy defeats by Sunderland, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, Potter often clung onto what he felt were pretty solid starts. Albeit solid starts which gave way to an eventual, and often rapid, capitulation.
The former West Ham United boss would often single out a few players for praise, even if his determination to uncover a needle in the most crowded of haystacks soon grated on a fanbase who wanted a little more honesty and a little less faux-positivity.
Nuno Espirito Santo, in contrast, tends to be more realistic and matter-of-fact in defeat.
In truth, even if Potter was still at the helm, finding good things to say about Monday’s insipid 2-0 home defeat by Keith Andrews’ Brentford may have been beyond him.
West Ham were simply ‘not good enough’, a despondent Nuno sighed. His team could not cope with Brentford’s physicality, either from set-pieces or in open play. Mustering 22 shots and six on target, the scoreline flattered the hosts rather than their dominant visitors.
And though Crysencio Summerville was again West Ham’s brightest spark – a few trademark darting runs here and there – Andrews’ well-drilled Bees outfit dealt extremely well with the threat of Jarrod Bowen and his fellow wideman.
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty ImagesKeith Andrews hails Brentford for stopping West Ham United duo Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville
Speaking after the 1-1 draw at Everton which marked the beginning of the Nuno era, Summerville spoke about the ‘magic’ he and Bowen are capable of providing when they get the ball in the right areas.
As recently as Friday, meanwhile, Nuno highlighted the importance of feeding the ex-Leeds star and letting him do what he does best.
But without Malick Diouf or Aaron Wan-Bissaka providing overlapping runs and with a lack of a natural centre-forward to use as an outlet, Summerville and Bowen spent most of the evening ambling down cul-de-sacs and dead ends brimming with Brentford bodies.
“I’m very pleased,” Andrews said after his side increased the gap between themselves and West Ham to six points. “In the first few minutes, we didn’t get as much control we would have liked. But once we got our front three involved in the game and started to dictate proceedings…
“I thought we were very good, overall.”
Not just in possession, but without it too.
“We were good with the ball, how we pressed, set-pieces. It was a very, very competent performance,” adds a managerial rookie who has taken charge of just eight Premier League matches compared to Nuno’s 187.
“Naturally, you want the second goal. I felt we deserved it. We could have made things a little bit more comfortable [before Mathias Jensen clinched the win in stoppage-time]. But I have to say, we managed the game pretty well.
“We controlled their transitions, which they can be lethal on with the likes of Summerville and Jarrod Bowen. I thought we controlled that pretty well, [and were] comfortable.”
Andrews explains how the Bees dealt with a toxic London Stadium
Between them, West Ham’s two dangermen managed just one shot on target. Bowen forced Coaimhin Kelleher into a very rare save with a long-range drive just before the interval.
There were plenty of empty seats at kick-off, as well as at full-time. While Nuno pleaded with the supporters to cheer his team on from the first minute, the Hammers United supporters group made their feelings known once again as another torrent of dissatisfaction rained down like a flood upon David Sullivan and Karren Brady.
Amid such a toxic atmosphere, Andrews’ focus was on ensuring his Brentford team went about their usual business.
“I think naturally, when a club is in the position that they’re in, in the bottom three and there has been a lot of talk around them, I suppose [we have to] try not to get too worried about that and too consumed by that,” says the former Republic of Ireland midfielder.
“We have to look after ourselves. And I just felt, the last few days when the boys came back from their international exploits, there was a good feeling around the place. I just felt it was a good chance for us, a good opportunity to show the steps that we want to take as a group.”
Captain Jarrod Bowen is demanding a West Ham response, meanwhile. Starting with Leeds United at Elland Road on Friday.
“I think ultimately confidence comes from winning games and having good performances, and we haven’t done that this season,” Bowen says. “That’s going to be a low, but what we’ve got to do as a group is trust what we’ve got in the changing room.
“We can’t be fearful in this league because if you’re fearful in this league, you’re going to lose games. I feel like that’s what we’re doing. We’ve got to rally together and take every challenge head-on.
“That’s what we’ve got to do. We’ve got to face up to the challenge. No one’s going to do it for us. No one’s going to give it to us. When we go on the pitch, it’s players taking pride in their performances.
“We put in a really, really poor performance. We play on Friday night up at Elland Road, which is a really difficult place to go. That’s a challenge that you’ve got to stand up to.”