Can managers openly admit mental health struggles?published at 08:08
08:08
Former manager Mark Warburton talks to The Football News Show about how managers can deal with mental health struggles while working at a club and what support there is available to them.
BBC Radio London's Xavier Bird offers his suggestions for West Ham:
Jarrod Bowen: It goes without saying. Superfan Danny Dyer sent a video message to Julen Lopetegui over the summer, requesting the new Hammers boss build the team around his son-in-law. Lopetegui has since made him captain.
Bowen scored 16 times in the Premier League last season, equalling the record set by Paolo di Canio in the 1999-2000 season. There is still a question mark over the fitness of Nicholas Fullkrug, while against Ipswich, Michail Antonio scored for the first time since the 2-2 draw against Liverpool in April.
For now, Bowen remains the main player West Ham turn to for goals.
Edson Alvarez: Alvarez had a very impressive first season with the Hammers, particularly considering he arrived under the daunting expectation of replacing Declan Rice.
The main issue last season for the Hammers was he was essentially their only holding midfielder. They have since brought in Guido Rodriguez, which has helped ease pressure on the Mexico man, but they still lack defensive solidity in midfield when Alvarez is absent - and that is a bit too often given he picks up too many yellow cards.
Alphonse Areola: Areola made a mistake against Chelsea for Nicolas Jackson’s first goal recently, something which really set the tone for the rest of the West Ham performance that afternoon.
For the most part though, he has been very solid between the sticks for the Hammers, and has ultimately staked his claim to a position which had for so long been nailed down by Lukasz Fabianksi.
The problem for West Ham is that Fabianski remains their number-two keeper. Should Areola pick up a significant injury, as Hammers fans feared he might have done when he came off at half time in the defeat to Manchester City, West Ham would be relying on a 39-year-old in one of their most important positions.
Lucas Paqueta: The Brazil playmaker has not been quite right so far this season. Whether a potential ban from football hanging over his head - should he be found guilty of breaching FA betting rules - that should not necessarily come as a huge surprise. His lack of cutting edge on the pitch so far this season has definitely affected West Ham though.
Paqueta is capable of creating something out of nothing, is by far the best passer in the team, and also (not that you would expect it) was a hugely important player in terms of winning the ball back when David Moyes was the manager.
Should there be a lengthy ban, which is something that has gone quiet for the moment, West Ham fans might have to readjust their start-of-season expectations for their side.
'Fair play to Antonio' - Suttonpublished at 16:50 8 October
16:50 8 October
West Ham United centre-forward Michail Antonio has now scored the same number of league goals as the combined tally of the 13 strikers brought into the club since his arrival in September 2015.
Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton has been discussing his consistent form on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club: "Like any position, there is always competition. A lot of the time, when a manager brings someone else in that plays in the same position, you often question whether you are surplus to requirements.
"It makes you knuckle down, want to show the manager that you are still worth a place, and fight for your shirt - so that is a great attitude to have.
"He is getting on a little bit now, but he still has brilliant attributes.
"He gets his team up the pitch, links up pretty well and has an eye for a goal. It is amazing that he is still up there with all of the competition that has come in.
"Fair play to Antonio for keeping on proving himself season in, season out."
'There is no doubt Antonio will leave the club as a legend'published at 12:35 8 October
12:35 8 October
James Jones Fan writer
Michail Antonio was back to his best at the weekend, causing Ipswich a series of problems as West Ham ran out comfortable 4-1 winners at London Stadium.
The Jamaica international netted the club's fastest goal in Premier League history when he converted Jarrod Bowen's low cross on 48 seconds, shaving five seconds off the previous record held by Enner Valencia following his goal against Manchester City in 2016.
It is another record Antonio can add to his West Ham career. His list of accolades and achievements since signing for the club in 2015 is pretty impressive.
He scored the club's first Premier League goal at London Stadium. He is the club's leading Premier League goalscorer (68). He is the joint-highest scorer in Europe alongside Bowen (10). He is the only West Ham player to score four goals in a Premier League game. He the first and only West Ham player to reach 100 Premier League goal contributions (68 goals, 33 assists). He has more London Stadium assists than anyone else (24). And, don't forget, he was the first opposition player to score at Tottenham's new stadium when West Ham became the first away team to win there in 2019.
Recent reports suggest the 34-year-old's time in east London is coming to an end, with the club allegedly willing to listen to offers in January.
If that is true, then it is only right we stop and give thanks to a player who has been incredibly influential to the club's recent history.
He was signed as a winger, spent a considerable spell playing as a right-back and is now the fall-back striker option who just happens to continue to be called upon because West Ham are just so bad at buying strikers good enough to replace him.
If it wasn't for his goals towards the end of the 2019-20 season (scoring eight goals in six games), it is likely we would have been relegated. We then would not have enjoyed the journey that followed - three consecutive seasons in Europe and a first piece of silverware since 1980, our first in Europe since 1965.
When Antonio leaves, he will simply leave as a legend of the club. There is no doubt about it.
Is the new VAR working?published at 07:25 8 October
07:25 8 October
A VAR related question was put to chief football writer Phil McNulty on Monday's Q&A.
@nubiblue on 'X' asked: Is the new improved VAR working? To me it continues to favour certain clubs.
Phil answered: First of all, I don't believe VAR favours certain clubs and quite honestly, I've not noticed too much difference or huge improvement.
Maybe a little less interference but I confess I lost a lot of faith in VAR after initially being a strong advocate.
I would be happy with semi-automated offside and line technology.
West Ham 4-1 Ipswich - the fans' verdictpublished at 12:40 7 October
12:40 7 October
We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Ipswich.
Here are some of your comments:
West Ham fans
James: Signs of what Lopetegui is trying to implement came through today, especially the second half. Todibo has cemented his place as a starter next to Kilman now. Great to have Alvarez back, who was class.
P CBM: That was entertaining and the reason Moyes was let go. AWB good, Kilman and Tobido looking more assured. Bowen and Kudus lively. Paqueta still not at his best and the midfield still not quite functioning smoothly.
Walter: Ipswich were not as bad as this result suggests although the Hammers could/should have had three more goals! It’s clear Antonio is only good for an hour so we will have to accept this. I think Paqueta is a luxury we can’t always afford - losing possession and failed tricks always leave us open. I would rather have Ward-Prowse. Three points. Beat United and we are off!
Ben: We needed a win, and we got that, along with a performance. Not perfect as they had a few decent chances they didn’t take, but four goals should help on the confidence front. Kudus and Paqueta scoring their first for the season also a plus.
Ipswich fans
James: An off day but disappointing all the same, especially after Villa. A harsh lesson in life in the Premier League - you have to cut down unforced errors and take your chances. I remain positive though; we have a pragmatic manager who will learn from this and I don't doubt the commitment of the players. Plus, at least we seem to be capable of scoring.
Adam: First time this season we've looked off the pace and unorganised. Too many defensive mistakes that were punished. Tuanzebe was a big miss for us.
Scott: Hutchinson and Clarke as 10s don't work. Let's go back to Broadhead and Chaplin after the international break. Still think Delap will keep us up. He is a real handful with very little support.
Andrew: You can’t change a team that was Championship standard last season by putting in four new players. Playing style needs to change also. The need to tighten up at the back is painfully obvious, as well as being clinical in front of goal.
'Massive pressure' but 'thoroughly deserved' win for West Hampublished at 07:26 7 October
07:26 7 October
Premier League record goalscorer Alan Shearer says Saturday's 4-1 thumping of Ipswich was a "big win" for Julen Lopetegui as he recorded his first home league victory as West Ham boss.
"West Ham played some really good stuff, especially in forward positions," Shearer told Match of the Day.
"They were just too good for Ipswich; their passing, moving - and they wanted it more when they got balls into the box. That was a regular thing.
"They looked quick and really skilful in forward positions. The switches of play were sharp. Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta and Michail Antonio were all on form.
"You've got all those guys clicking and they had 13 shots on target which shows you how dominant they were. They were enjoying themselves and they were just too quick.
"Their passing and movement was too much for Ipswich. They all wanted the ball.
"It was such an important game that they had to win. There was massive pressure on them.
"Big win for Julen Lopetegui and great for the fans because there would have been huge pressure if they hadn't won. Thoroughly deserved."
Gossip: West Ham targeting Villarreal forward Perezpublished at 07:14 7 October
07:14 7 October
West Ham are interested in bringing former Leicester City and Newcastle United forward Ayoze Perez back to the Premier League, in the hope that the 31-year-old Villarreal player can improve their attacking options. (Caught Offside), external
West Ham 4-1 Ipswich Town: Bowen provides perfect response to England disappointmentpublished at 22:25 5 October
22:25 5 October
Michael Emons BBC Sport journalist at London Stadium
West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen provided the perfect response to being left out of the England squad with a stunning performance as the Hammers overpowered Ipswich Town to record their first home league win of the season.
Bowen set up a goal within the opening 48 seconds with Michail Antonio on the end of his low, tempting cross from the right.
Ipswich equalised and should have taken the lead before Mohammed Kudus made it 2-1 to the hosts just before half time, with a game-changing goal.
West Ham were far superior in the second half and Bowen's angled strike into the bottom corner inside the first five minutes after the restart took the game out of the visitors' reach.
Bowen, not included in Lee Carsley's England squad, which was named on Thursday, for next week's Nations League matches against Greece and Finland, got his third goal involvement of the afternoon and his second assist late on.
It was a fine square pass with the outside of the boot, with Lucas Paqueta having the straightforward task of tapping into the net from close range.
Unsurprisingly Bowen was named man of the match and if he can maintain this form over the next few months then an England recall will soon be coming his way.
'The mentality was strong' - Lopeteguipublished at 20:32 5 October
20:32 5 October
West Ham manager Julen Lopetegui, speaking to Sky Sports: "It’s always important [to win].
"It was an important day for us but we deserved to win against a good team like Ipswich. We started very well but suffered a goal in an action I think we can avoid but after the mentality was strong."
West Ham 4-1 Ipswich Town: Key statpublished at 17:27 5 October
17:27 5 October
West Ham had 13 shots on target against Ipswich, their most in a Premier League game on record (since 2003-04).
West Ham 4-1 Ipswich - send us your thoughtspublished at 17:00 5 October
'At West Ham there were a lot of eyes on me' - Phillipspublished at 13:40 5 October
13:40 5 October
Ipswich's Kalvin Phillips has spoken about his loan spell at West Ham on the latest episode of My Mate's A Footballer with Leeds striker Patrick Bamford and comedian Joe Wilkinson.
Who walks the most in the Premier League?published at 11:45 5 October
11:45 5 October
Chris Collinson BBC Sport statistician
It has been a hectic start to the Premier League season with some clubs making a fast start while others are yet to get going.
But whose boots are made for walking the most so far?
Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa has walked the most after six games, just 0.1 km more than Manchester City striker Erling Haaland.
Interestingly, Haaland and Bournemouth striker Antoine Semenyo walk a lot despite being forwards.
Maybe the reason why Haaland has been able to establish himself as one of the fastest players and why Semenyo has made so many sprints is that they conserve their energy for the biggest moments where they can make the most impact.
Meanwhile, it is not just distance walked that we have tracked.
Wolves’ Matheus Cunha has spent more of his time on the pitch walking than any other player in the Premier League so far.
It is also interesting that both of Tottenham’s centre-backs spend so much of their time walking, given Spurs' high possession, high pressing, style of play.
This might mean Cristiano Romero and Micky van de Ven can conserve energy for when things get a bit chaotic (or they fancy a marauding run)?
This could especially be true for van de Ven who has been the fastest player in the competition so far.
Follow Saturday's Premier League games livepublished at 11:31 5 October
11:31 5 October
Seven matches make up Saturday's Premier League action, and we will bring you every moment.
Sutton's predictions: West Ham v Ipswichpublished at 11:15 5 October
11:15 5 October
Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.
For week seven, he takes on Will Champion and Jonny Buckland from Coldplay, whose latest album, Moon Music, came out on Friday.
Sutton's prediction: 2-0
This is hard. I don't like to give credit to Ipswich if I can help it, but they have really impressed me.
At this moment in time, they are a better structured team than West Ham. They showed it with the way they finished their draw with Aston Villa last week, and the only downside from the way they have started the season is the fact they don't have a win yet.
With the quality the Hammers have got, eventually it has to click for them, but it has not happened yet.
As much as I hate to predict an Ipswich defeat, I am going to stick my neck out and say the Hammers will get their act together this time.
Basically, I am backing them to produce a performance that they have not managed all season under Julen Lopetegui.
They have to really. There was so much made of him taking over from David Moyes, that he really needs a result - West Ham fans are not always the most patient bunch, and they are expecting more than they have seen so far.
Rising expectations as West Ham seek first home league winpublished at 10:41 4 October
10:41 4 October
Michael Emons BBC Sport journalist
Three top-10 Premier League finishes and winning the club their first piece of silverware since 1980 - and their first European trophy since 1965 - was not enough to earn David Moyes a new contract.
His replacement was always going to have to deal with rising expectations and three successive home defeats, along with a 5-1 thrashing at Liverpool to go out of the Carabao Cup, has been a tough start for Julen Lopetegui.
But, as he can rightly say, those home losses have been to Aston Villa, Manchester City and Chelsea, games even the most optimistic Hammer would expect to be difficult.
However, a home match against a newly promoted side without a top-flight win since April 2002 is one the West Ham fans will be demanding three points from.
If the Hammers lose at home to Ipswich Town on Saturday then Lopetegui would find himself under huge pressure, while a win would leave them comfortably in mid-table and with something to build on.
A quirk of the fixture schedule has seen his side play all six of their league matches in the capital, and that run continues for their next three games with Ipswich and Manchester United coming to east London and an away game at Tottenham sandwiched in the middle.
While West Ham are yet to win at London Stadium in the league in 2024-25, they are yet to lose a league game away from there.
A victory for Lopetegui’s side at the weekend would take them to eight points from seven matches, matching the start Moyes had at the beginning of his first spell midway through the 2017-18 campaign.
Slaven Bilic, with four wins and a draw and 13 points in 2015-16, has the best record among West Ham's Premier League managers in their opening seven league matches in charge.
The lowest totals are the five points gained by Harry Redknapp, Glenn Roeder, Avram Grant and Moyes in his second spell.
Lopetegui needs to avoid defeat against Ipswich to move clear of those bosses.
Did you know?published at 09:59 4 October
09:59 4 October
Tomas Soucek netted his 29th Premier League goal for West Ham in their 1-1 draw with Brentford, overtaking Milan Baros (28) into second place for the top Czech scorers in the competition's history, behind only Patrik Berger (38 goals).
Lopetegui on Fullkrug, seeking home win and Ipswichpublished at 13:35 3 October
13:35 3 October
Phil Cartwright BBC Sport journalist
West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Ipswich (kick-off 15:00 BST).
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
Striker Niclas Fullkrug remains out of action because of injury, but the rest of his squad are available. On Fullkrug, the Spaniard said: "We would like that he was fit now. He has had a little problem. Hopefully we are going to have him ready for the next matches."
On how he and his players are approaching Saturday's game: "As with all of the matches, we have big expectations and we are trying to work hard, but knowing we are going to play against a good team."
Speaking about Saturday's opponents, he continued: "Ipswich have worked together for three years with a very good coach. They have a consistent team, that's why they have not lost against Fulham, Brighton, Southampton or Aston Villa. They work well as a team, with and without the ball. We have to be ready to compete to be able to win this match."
Lopetegui was asked if there is pressure on his team to secure a first Premier League home win this season: "It's normal because we want to win at home and we haven't done that until now. We have not lost away but it is not enough - we want more. We are working to win the next match against Ipswich and that is our main aim."
On whether he knows his preferred starting XI, Lopetegui said: "We put focus on the [starting] line-up but there is the same importance on the bench players. We have one squad and we can choose one player or another depending on the opponent or the moment of the match."
On the importance of Mohammed Kudus and Lucas Paqueta to the success of the team: "It's important that the team play well and work well. It's about all of them, not about one player or two. Football is a collective game and we want all of them to work as a team and work for the team. This is the only way I know how to be a strong team."