Ex-West Ham midfielder Don Hutchinson has criticised the state of the first-team squad, laying the blame firmly at the feet of the owners.
The former player, who had two separate spells with the Hammers, told online-casinos.com that Nuno Espirito Santo is coming into a club which has multiple problems that need to be addressed:
“To be honest, the current West Ham squad is one of the worst they’ve had for years. Graham Potter was given an awful squad to do something with, and now it’s Nuno’s problem.”
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“Fundamentally, the owners need to take a serious look at themselves. In my opinion, they need to back the manager with top-class players. Second of all, the owners – and I know this will never happen – need to give the club their own stadium, a home.”
“It’s desperately sad seeing it as a former West Ham player, but renting an athletics stadium after moving away from their own ground is a dreadful thing.”
“Manchester United would never move out from Old Trafford just to rent a stadium. Liverpool wouldn’t do that at Anfield, and Newcastle wouldn’t either. For some reason, the owners felt it was acceptable at West Ham. I can only see them repeating their problems with managers until they build the club a stadium.”
Hutchinson’s comments reflect the feelings of fans
It seems unlikely that the current ownership will move away from the London Stadium and devote resources to constructing a purpose-built football ground, but that is what the majority of supporters would dearly love to happen.
While you can’t place the blame for all of the club’s on-pitch issues on the stadium, there are decisions that the owners have made that have never sat well with the fanbase.
Nuno can succeed at West Ham
While Hutchinson may feel that the stadium will continue to cause problems for managers, David Moyes showed that success is still possible.
Nuno is equally as pragmatic as the Scot, and he demonstrated that he can defy the odds with his stint as manager at Nottingham Forest. The extent of his success will, of course, still hinge on those above him at the club.
Read more about the West Ham First Team Squad for 2025/26 here