With the West Ham spotlight fixed squarely on Nuno Espirito Santo, [David Sullivan](https://www.claretandhugh.info/david-sullivan-bio/), and Karren Brady in recent weeks, the playing squad have — in my opinion — got off far too lightly.
Sure, Nuno’s nutty tactics haven’t helped in the last two games, and there’s been poor management at board level that’s left us with an unbalanced squad. But there comes a time when the focus must shift to the players themselves.
This website churns out ten or more articles a day, yet I genuinely can’t remember the last time anyone wrote about how grossly overpaid footballers are. Maybe it’s something we’ve simply grown to accept. As fans, we don’t begrudge players their millions — all we ask is that they make West Ham proud and give everything for the shirt.
No Excuses for Lack of Effort
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I’ve spent much of the past week trying to work out why Nuno picked such a bizarre mix against Brentford and [Leeds](https://www.claretandhugh.info/leeds-united-bio/). The only explanation I can find is that he was searching for eleven players who’d actually put a shift in.
Because from what I’ve seen, under multiple managers, too many of our pampered stars look like they can’t be arsed — and that’s unforgivable. Every senior player not from our academy is already a millionaire or well on the way to becoming one. Fans don’t mind that — what we mind is the lack of effort.
My mate Nick took half a day off work on Friday to drive to Leeds, only to watch most of the team lose their individual battles against a newly promoted side. His journey home ended at 4am, and the club even added a £2 booking fee on top of already expensive tickets.
Missed passes can be forgiven. What can’t be is six-foot defenders getting bullied off the ball or losing headers. West Ham have a squad full of players earning £3 million a year or more — it’s time they stood up and earned it.
Yes, Nuno’s tactics deserve criticism, but these same players were just as poor under Lopetegui and Potter. Sullivan might splash over the odds on Kilman, Rodríguez, or Todibo, but once they’re in claret and blue, it’s down to them to justify those £100,000-per-week wages.
Newcastle will probably beat us on Sunday — but all we ask is that every player wearing the shirt gives absolutely everything. Nothing less will do.