'We have to pull fans back together' - Nuno has a 'problem' at West Ham

There were quiet seats earlier West Ham took connected Brentford successful their London derby. And plentifulness during nan game. And moreover much truthful arsenic nan crippled drew to a close.

The fans who were near booed their squad disconnected aft a genuinely miserable 2-0 conclusion that could easy person been 5-0.

These are toxic times astatine London Stadium, pinch immoderate fans staying distant successful a protestation against nan moving of nan club.

New Hammers leader Nuno Espirito Santo - yet to triumph aft 3 games - admits nan players person to activity difficult to get nan fans backmost onside.

There was nary sugar-coating this capacity by nan caput coach pinch his after-match verdict.

"Not bully enough. Poor," said nan Portuguese, who was managing his first West Ham location crippled since replacing Graham Potter, aft 2 distant trips.

"Fairly Brentford won nan game, they were nan amended team.

"I deliberation we are each concerned. You tin spot our ain fans are concerned. Concern becomes anxiety, becomes silence. That worry passes to nan players. We person a problem.

"It's understandable. It's up to america to change. The fans request to spot thing that pleases them and they tin support america and springiness america energy.

"I understand it, I understand it totally, and I respect it. It's up to us, it's up to america to alteration it. We are nan group who person to propulsion nan fans backmost together."

West Ham stay 19th, pinch conscionable 4 points from their opening 8 games. They are successful action successful nan adjacent Premier League crippled too, visiting Leeds connected Friday.

Nuno told BBC Sport: "It's a situation for each of us. It's up to america to alteration nan momentum and bring our fans backmost to support us. In 4 days' clip we request a large improvement."

West Ham person mislaid 5 successive location games successful nan apical formation for nan 2nd clip successful their history, antecedently doing truthful successful April 1931.

This was nan first clip they person mislaid their opening 4 location games successful a convention season.

The Hammers had drawn astatine Everton and mislaid 2-0 to Arsenal successful their first 2 games nether Nuno, who was sacked arsenic Nottingham Forest leader earlier this season.

Against Brentford they offered very small and were fortunate only Igor Thiago and Mathias Jensen scored from their 22 shots.

This was a Bees squad managed by rookie head Keith Andrews, who had not won an distant crippled successful nan convention this season.

"West Ham were shocking and person been shocking for a while," said Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher.

"I felt for them astatine nan commencement of nan season. West Ham pinch that squad of players, nary matter nan manager, were ever going to struggle because they can't header physically. Brentford perfectly bullied them."

Former Hammers midfielder Gary O'Neil added: "I was convinced West Ham would beryllium OK before, but having watched that I person existent concerns.

"They look lost, changeable of confidence, they don't look together.

"That capacity needs a seismic shift. Nuno has sewage a monolithic occupation ahead."

There were clusters of quiet seats astatine London Stadium, immoderate arsenic a consequence of nan latest shape of protests organised by supporters' group Hammers United, who want president David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to leave.

The brace person been astatine nan nine for 15 years and were instrumental successful nan team's move from nan overmuch smaller Upton Park to London Stadium, which hosted athletics astatine nan 2012 Olympics and has a capacity for shot matches of much than 62,000.

However, a ample number of fans consciousness nan nine person mislaid their principle pinch nan move from Upton Park. They retrieve their aged location creating a acold amended ambiance for games, pinch nan covered athletics way astatine London Stadium besides leaving those successful nan apical tier pinch a mediocre view.

Before nan nonaccomplishment to Crystal Palace past month, which proved to beryllium Graham Potter's past crippled successful charge, astir 3,000 Hammers fans protested extracurricular nan directors' entrance.

The supporters chanted for Sullivan and Brady to time off nan club, saying promises had not been kept, nan squad had not been strengthened, training accommodation had not been upgraded and nan matchday acquisition was not a bully one.

Now location has been a boycott by immoderate fans and nan run against nan club's activity is group to continue. A larger march, erstwhile organisers dream astatine slightest 9,000 group will attend, has been planned for nan location lucifer against Burnley connected Saturday, 8 November.