West Ham United

West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo spoke to BBC Radio London after their 6-0 away win over Lincoln City.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here.

Former West Ham United defender Anton Ferdinand says he knows exactly how the current crop of players feel as they fight for promotion back to the Premier League.

Ferdinand, now 41, made his professional debut for the Hammers on the opening day of the 2003-04 campaign after the club's relegation the previous season.

They missed out on an immediate return to the top flight, losing to Crystal Palace in the play-off final at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, but came back the following year to defeat Preston.

"I lived this, many years ago, this exact moment," Ferdinand, who has this season embarked on his first senior coaching role with National League newcomers Hornchurch, told BBC Radio London.

"I know how hard it is. You're coming into the Championship, you're the biggest team in the league. [When] everyone's coming to your home pitch, it's an FA Cup final for them, and the pressure's on.

"But [boss] Nuno [Espirito Santo] has steadied the ship quite quickly, which is very pleasing.

"As much as everyone's saying we should walk the league, it's never going to be like that. That's just the way the Championship is.

"We've started well. When we get to Christmas, that's when it really starts to get nail-biting."

Listen to Anton talk to BBC Radio London's breakfast show on the club's season so far, and their work in the community, by using the play button above or clicking here.

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West Ham United head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has again warned his players they can ill afford to start matches slowly.

The Hammers have conceded the first goal in their last three games in all competitions, hitting back to draw Championship matches against QPR and Millwall but losing their EFL Cup tie with Premier League side Fulham.

Nuno is keen to avoid a repeat when his side travel to face Lincoln City, who sit in 16th place, on Wednesday.

"We have to fix it, urgently," he said. "We have to start the games better. I don't want to keep repeating myself – 'slow start, better second half'.

"I want to come to you guys one day and say 'good first half, good second half'."

Venezuela winger Keiber Lamadrid remains sidelined through injury, while other players will have their match fitness assessed as the Hammers get used to extra league fixtures outside the top flight.

Midfielder Mohamadou Kante is available again after he missed the QPR game through suspension.

West Ham United will be hoping they can regain their position in the automatic promotion places during the midweek games after a disappointing 1-1 draw against Queens Park Rangers on Friday saw them drop to third.

They visit Lincoln City for Wednesday's headline event (20:00 BST) with the Imps looking to cut off a two-match losing run.

• This will be the first league match between Lincoln City and West Ham United since December 1957, a 6-1 win for the Hammers.

• West Ham are unbeaten in seven meetings with Lincoln City in all competitions (W5 D2), most recently a 1-0 League Cup third round victory in September 2023.

• Lincoln have failed to win their opening four home games of a Football League season for the first time since 2004-05 (first 5).

• West Ham are looking to avoid defeat in their first five away league games of a season for the fourth time in the 21st century, after 2011-12 (Championship), 2015-16 (Premier League) and 2021-22 (Premier League).

• West Ham have won each of their last five league games against newly promoted opponents, including a 3-2 win at Bolton already this season.

West Ham United boss Nuno Espirito Santo spoke to BBC Radio London after the 1-1 draw at home to QPR on Friday night.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here.

Image source, Shutterstock

We asked for your thoughts after West Ham's 1-1 draw at home to QPR on Friday night.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Mandy: The harsh reality. A terrible performance. Stats show we had 12 shots, but not one before the 70th minute and Bowen's goal. Sloppy passing, no running, no midfield. Not sure Nuno knows his best team. Three weeks to prepare? What were they doing? Then a gift at the end and the captain fluffs it. A point is actually more than we deserved. A long season ahead. What. A. Let down.

Stuart: So frustrating to watch. First half so passive and no energy. Second half poor at the start and then improved. Should have been three points in the end but to be honest we would not have deserved it.

Matt: Same old West Ham again - it's like we think that we'll walk the league without trying for the first hour of a game, and then realise that we actually need to exert ourselves a bit for the last half hour.

If they can play like that the whole game then it will be great but it's been a recurring theme since the first game. I might be an outlier but I trust Nuno still - this feels like an effort issue from the players more so than tactical mismanagement, and the subs on Friday showed that he knows who to bring on when.

Sue: It was the worst I've seen this season. They were so slow and lacklustre. QPR's penalty was a joke but they did deserve something from the match even though the referee had to give it to them. If we don't start improving from the beginning of matches we will not get promotion.

David: Nuno says we start slowly in "some games". In fact it's every game. It's been a West Ham problem since the days of Moyes but it's Nuno's job to sort it out, especially in this division.

We have to get after teams but we make it comfortable for them with our slow sideways passing at the back and complete lack of physicality up front.

Image source, Shutterstock

QPR fans

Colin: QPR can be pleased with the result, going away to West Ham is not easy and they acquitted themselves well, in fact could have been 2-0 up going into the break. Last season they had problems with the GK position but this chap on loan from Citeh is top notch.

Paul: So solid for 70 minutes. Playing away from home, getting a point despite all our injuries is a fantastic effort. Hope at last.

Andrew: Good first half. Lost momentum in the second half but overall a great team effort and a good point away from home. Kolli certainly looked more dangerous up front than Kone.

Tony: Outstanding all round team performance from QPR. Showed a lot of class in the first half and in the second, courage, organisation and resilience. Well organised throughout and now looking like promotion contenders.

Stuart: Overall, we put in a solid performance. While the penalty was fortunate, it was just reward for our early pressure. We expected them to step things up in the second half, but up until the substitutions, we looked in control.

Their penalty was one of the clearest you'll see given all season, but Charles stepped up to ensure we didn't leave empty-handed.

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Scunthorpe United have signed West Ham United defender Regan Clayton on a one-month loan deal.

The 21-year-old has been with the Hammers since the age of 10 and has made 10 appearances for their under-21s in the EFL Trophy.

He could make his debut for the Iron, who are 21st in the National League, at Fylde on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Image source, Getty Images

West Ham United are celebrating winning both the Championship's manager and player of the month awards for September.

Boss Nuno Espirito Santo oversaw an unbeaten run last month which produced four wins from their five league games in which they scored 18 goals.

Defender Konstantinos Mavropanos had a prolific September for the Hammers, scoring four goals while also helping them keep two clean sheets as they moved up to second place in the table.

"I am delighted to win this award, but it was an excellent team effort this month," said Mavropanos.

"We had some good results, went on a good run, and obviously this award means that we are doing something good with the team.

"I am the one who has been given the award this time, but it could have been any of my team-mates, and I am just really happy that we are in a good way right now."

Lincoln head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, Swansea's Vitor Matos and Mark Robins of Stoke City were also nominated for the manager award.

Image source, Getty Images

Lincoln City head coaches Chris Cohen and Tom Shaw, Swansea's Vitor Matos, Mark Robins of Stoke City and West Ham United boss Nuno Espirito Santo have been nominated for September's Championship manager of the month award.

Cohen and Shaw oversaw a run of eight points from five games for newly-promoted Lincoln last month, including away wins at Preston and Bristol City.

Matos won August's award and is in the running again as Swansea took 10 points in September to move to the top of the Championship table.

Stoke City recovered from losing their opening three games of the season under Robins to go unbeaten last month with four wins from their five outings and move up to seventh place.

West Ham boss Nuno's side rattled in 18 goals in their five matches in September with only Millwall preventing them from taking three points in a 2-2 draw at The Den.

The winner will be announced at 06:00 BST on Friday, 9 October.

The Championship returns from a three-week hiatus with a London derby on Friday as West Ham United host QPR (20:00 BST).

A victory for the Hammers would move them to the top of the table before the rest of the weekend's fixtures while a win for QPR would push them into second place.

• West Ham and QPR have not met in the league since the 2014-15 Premier League campaign; the Hammers won 2-0 at Upton Park that season, before the sides shared a 0-0 draw at Loftus Road.

• QPR lost their most recent game against West Ham, a 2-1 extra-time defeat in the FA Cup third round last season at the London Stadium. The Hoops have not won any of their past six visits across all competitions (D2 L4) since a 4-0 win in the Premier League in August 1993.

• West Ham have scored 22 Championship goals in eight games this season, more than any other side. All three teams with this many goals after eight games since 2004-05 have gone on to win the league - Wolves in 2008-09 (23), QPR in 2010-11 (22) and Coventry in 2025-26 (22).

• QPR are one of only two teams unbeaten away from home in the Championship this season (W2 D2), along with West Ham. They have only managed a longer away unbeaten run from the start of a season twice this century, eventually winning promotion on both occasions: 2010-11 (first nine) and 2013-14 (first five).

• No player has been involved in more Championship goals this season than West Ham's Jarrod Bowen (four goals, three assists), while he also ranks second for both shots (32) and chances created (24).

Image source, Shutterstock

West Ham United will dedicate Friday's Championship game against Queens Park Rangers to former goalkeeper Ludek Miklosko, who died last month at the age of 64.

The hugely popular Miklosko played for both clubs, as well as spending time as a goalkeeping coach with West Ham.

The Czech played 373 times for the Hammers between 1990 and 1998, before joining QPR and making a further 57 league appearances.

His family and selected former team-mates will take part in a pre-match ceremony before the game at the London Stadium.

There will also be fan-led displays in two of the stands, a special video tribute on the big screens and a special commemorative match programme.

Image source, Getty Images

Holly Turbutt
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

The international break gives West Ham an opportunity to regroup, rest and fix some of the challenges we have faced so far.

Eight games into the season, we have a clear view of our strengths and weaknesses, so fans are hoping we'll use this break to recover from tiredness and improve technically.

Having scored 22 Championship goals, it is clear to see that we are attacking well, putting us in a great position to play exciting football.

Instead, our issues lie in defence and midfield, with us conceding easily and struggling to stay organised under pressure.

One of the players that could fix the number of goals we're conceding is Tomas Soucek.

After a long absence, we hope he will be fit to play again when the season continues, bringing an experienced and passionate player into our midfield.

One of the greatest benefits of Soucek's potential return is that he's naturally defensive, which is something we've been lacking.

While he might not be the fastest, he should be able to protect our defence and stop us conceding from set pieces, which has been a major issue for us in the Championship.

In addition to this, the break will give a lot of the new players a chance to take stock of their time at the club so far.

The majority of summer signings have impressed, despite being brought in with little time to settle before their first games.

The hope is that the slower pace for the next couple of weeks can take the pressure off and help them to gel even more.

After a worrying start to the season, we had our four wins in a row, before dropping out of the Carabao Cup and then scraping a draw with Millwall.

The drop-off in performance means we should not lose momentum with this time out, and instead, the international break can give legs a rest and provide time to improve on our defensive weaknesses before we go again.

When the season continues on 9 October, games will return thick and fast, meaning now is our time to prepare mentally and physically.

We've had a glimpse into what it feels like to win back-to-back games, and now we need to exceed expectations and find a way to do this regularly.

This break gives us the perfect breather to do this without pressure, so the goal must be to build momentum early and improve defensively from the moment the season gets back underway.

Find more from Holly Turbutt at West Ham Network, external

Don't forget to tap the 'follow' button at the top of this page to stay up to date with the latest West Ham United news.

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West Ham United season ticket holder Gus Beagles would grade the Hammers' inconsistent start to the season as in the "B+, A- bracket" but feels some "leeway" is required.

They are second in the Championship, two points below leaders Swansea, but remain the bookies favourites to lift the title.

The expectation is high and it is what comes with it that has Beagles forgiving the early hiccups.

"West Ham have always seen periods where they look nervous and I think it's a really difficult club at times to play for," Beagles said.

"Us as a fan base, we are a brilliant fan base and extremely passionate as you see with our following across the country, but there's a lot of pressure to play for West Ham and especially at this level in the Championship.

"The pressure from the players that will be putting it on themselves to get up in the league, from the opposition, of going to difficult places or teams coming to us and having a crack, and also the pressure from the fans.

"London Stadium can become difficult when it gets nervy. It can be a really difficult place to play."

Listen to the full fan analysis below or on BBC Sounds here.

How are Grimsby Town and Swansea City linked through their recruitment and analysis?

In the newest episode of the 72+ podcast, Aaron Paul, Jobi McAnuff and Cambridge United boss Neil Harris find out in conversation with Grimsby CEO Polly Bancroft, who talks Jamestown Analytics, club growth, ambitions and what it's like to be one of the few female chief executives in the EFL.

That's after the panel are joined by Adam Blackmore, BBC Radio Solent's sports editor, to chat Spygate, the looming verdict over Tonda Eckert and how the club is feeling in this decisive week.

There's also discussion and debate on Championship table-toppers Swansea City and League One strugglers Peterborough United.

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

West Ham United manager Nuno Espirito Santo spoke to BBC Radio London after his team came from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 against rivals Millwall at The Den.

For the match report, click here, and to hear more from the West Ham camp, subscribe to the Hammers' page on BBC Sounds.

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's derby saw West Ham United claw back a 2-2 draw at Millwall from being 2-0 down in the first half.

Here are some of your comments:

Millwall fans

Siddie: In the cold light of day we should be proud of ourselves, given all the injuries. Sturge and Arconte looked dangerous. And everyone else was also really good. Just ran out of steam. I still feel lots of positives here and we just need to keep going.

Andy: Worked their socks off, deserved half-time lead.

Thought we made a bad tactical change - Sturge, who had marked Bowen out of the game, was moved to midfield and Millwall played a back three with Baggot marking Bowen. Both West Ham's goals were not the players' fault just a bad tactical decision, which I am sure we will learn from.

Dave: Alex Neil has cost us nine points this season by playing three at the back in the second half when we are dominating games.

Image source, Shutterstock

West Ham fans

Chris: Poor start even though we knew what was going to hit us. Too many passes going astray and too slow on the ball against a strong Millwall press.

Fair play to Nuno with the subs. Kante, a big physical presence, maybe should have been on from the start. Pablo strong on the ball also helped dig us out. Lucky escape.

Simon: Very poor performance, inaccurate passing in the first half. Fulham proved last match if you press us for the most part we can't deal with it and don't have the skill in the back line to pass out or pick a pass.

For a derby there wasn't the passion and Jarrod Bowen was not leading as captain on the field and wasn't at the required work rate in the first half. One or very possibly two bans could impact progress moving forward!

Malcolm: Totally out muscled; sloppy passing and very pedestrian particularly in the first half. Defence was all over the place and continues to be a major concern. Not one cross from the left wing .

All very predictable. Better second half mainly due to Millwall tiring. Much work to be done!