Nuno Espirito Santo must buck worrying trend – how West Ham’s past three managers have fared in first game
Nuno Espirito Santo is the new West Ham United manager.
Graham Potter was sacked by West Ham on Saturday after eight months in charge, with the 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace proving to be the final straw for the Hammers hierarchy.
David Sullivan added Nuno to his managerial shortlist in case he decided to sack Potter, and it has come to fruition with his appointment.
The former Wolves man will take charge of his first game on Monday as West Ham travel to take on David Moyes’ Everton.
However, he will need to buck a recent trend, as West Ham Zone takes a look back at how the last three Hammers managers fared in their first games in charge.
Graham Potter
We start with Potter himself, who began his ill-fated spell at the London Stadium with a trip to Villa Park in the FA Cup earlier this year.
West Ham were on the losing side, as they fell to a 2-1 defeat after Lucas Paqueta gave the Hammers an early lead.
Amadou Onana equalised midway through the second half, before Morgan Rogers grabbed the winner for Unai Emery’s side five minutes later to send them through to the fourth round.
Potter’s reign didn’t improve after the defeat, winning just six times in 25 attempts before his sacking on Saturday.
Julen Lopetegui
Julen Lopetegui‘s reign was as much of a disaster as Potter’s was, lasting just six months before being sacked in January after a 4-1 defeat at Manchester City.
Lopetegui’s first game was the opening day of last season, again against Emery’s Aston Villa at the London Stadium.
The result, however, was identical, as Villa won 2-1 in East London thanks to a late Jhon Duran goal, after Paqueta’s penalty cancelled out Onana’s early strike.
That means West Ham’s past two managers have lost their first game in a worrying trend Nuno must now put an end to against Everton on Monday.
David Moyes
The last manager to win his first game in charge at West Ham was Moyes back in 2020.
Moyes returned to replace Manuel Pellegrini in December 2019, as West Ham were sat dangerously close to the relegation zone after a 2-1 defeat at home to Leicester City.
Many fans were not happy with Moyes’ return, but he quickly silenced the critics with an emphatic 4-0 victory over Bournemouth at the London Stadium.
Mark Noble’s double and a Sebastien Haller strike gave the Hammers a 3-0 half-time lead before Felipe Anderson made in four in the second half to round off a perfect afternoon.
Nuno will be hoping to follow Moyes’ footsteps as opposed to that of Potter and Lopetegui.
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