West Ham United

James Jones
Fan writer

Which player is flying?: There have not been many top performers at West Ham this season but over the past few games, Mateus Fernandes has really stood out and is becoming so important to Nuno's midfield, with his positioning, movement link-up play with Lucas Paqueta.

Which player is floundering?: Several at this stage, despite recent improvements. Mads Hermansen has to be the biggest disappointment though. Signed for £20m in the summer to replace Alphonse Areola in goal, only to be dropped after just four games.

Tactically I think we… are improving. Under Nuno, we're finally beginning to develop a tactical identity again after losing that under Julen Lopetegui and Graham Potter. It is not the identity many fans were calling for towards the end of David Moyes' reign, but it is one that is beginning to get results again.

I want Nuno to give me more… consistency, because the past two starting XIs, which have been unchanged, have given us two hugely important wins and two much-improved performances.

Our fans seem obsessed with… our style of play. We've kind of reverted to the style under Moyes, which had fans calling for change a couple of years ago. Indeed, under Moyes things had gone stale towards the end of his time and it was probably time for a change. However, calls for a complete change in style were largely misguided by the belief that teams can just decide to play better football, employ a manager to do it and it will just immediately click. It doesn't - and it didn't.

But they should be thinking about... stability. I think fans are learning now that results and winning football matches should always trump style of play. That brings stability, which can then pave the way for success.

My expectations for the season were... but are now… steady, mid-table football. Now the expectation is a (successful) relegation battle given the mess Nuno inherited.

Season so far: 2/10

One sentence on how you're feeling: I'm feeling confident that Nuno can steer us clear of trouble, but wary that it's going to be a very long and nervous road between now and May.

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

West Ham, Everton and Roma are keen on signing Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee, with the Netherlands international, 24, on the periphery at Old Trafford. (The I - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.

We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.

Here's the effort of BBC Sport's West Ham fan writer James Jones.

And you can ask us about the Hammers using their Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here

Find more from James Jones at We Are West Ham, external

Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug, 32, is set to leave West Ham in January and is in talks with clubs in the Bundesliga. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Former Brentford striker Ivan Toney is set to remain with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli despite interest in the 29-year-old Englishman from Tottenham, Everton and West Ham. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

In a congested selection in defence, West Ham legend Julian Dicks was the most popular pick and thus secures the left-back berth.

It does mean Aaron Cresswell, who featured in the fourth-most teams being shunted to right-back, but perhaps he will not mind.

Further forward, this XI boasts some serious flair and a touch of volatility in Dimitri Payet, Joe Cole and Paolo di Canio, while Jarrod Bowen and Declan Rice provide a more modern touch.

And it would not be a Premier League XI without Mark Noble, who would probably wear the armband.

Expect this side to compete at the top end of the division rather than languishing towards the bottom.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?

So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.

On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.

However, this has not been the case for all teams.

For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.

In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.

"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.

"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.

"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.

"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."

The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?

Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.

"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.

"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.

"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."

The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?

"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.

"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."

Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"Home advantage gives you an advantage."

It is a quote - among many - attributed to the famous former England manager Sir Bobby Robson - a simple, yet fair reflection of a historical format of football.

For as long as teams have played in leagues, games taking place home and away has been the norm, with the idea that playing at home will be to the benefit of that team.

But what is the impact of playing at your own ground in front of your own fans?

In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "Home impact can be viewed in two ways. Sometimes it does have a positive impact, and what happens is there is an elevated motivation.

"What that means is the crowd energy increases adrenaline and that creates a momentum in effort and intensity in the players. It is also a familiar environment for the players, so that means it reduces the cognitive load. They don't have to think as much about anything else other than their play because they know the pitch, they know the routines, they feel settled.

"However, there are a couple of potential negative impacts as well, with the potential intensification in pressure in the home fans, most times, expecting dominance from the home team. That can lead to mistakes from players feeling bigger to them.

"There can then be what we call a threat state. The players might perceive consequences as high, so they feel they might be facing more criticism when they are at home."

While those who watch football know there are more factors than just where the match is being to take into consideration, the statistics do suggest the influence is there.

Since the Premier League started, the home win percentage has outweighed the away win percentage in all bar one season - the Covid-hit 2020-21 campaign in which fans were largely not allowed admission saw a 38% home win rate compared to 40% away win rate.

So how a team handles this additional crowd pressure seems to be a key factor.

"In psychology, there is something called the challenge and threat theory," Cartwright said.

"In reality what that means is a 'challenge state' can push the player into thinking, 'I've got this, I've got the resources to cope with this'. That leads to better decision making and quicker reactions.

"The threat state, on the other hand, players might think the consequences outweigh their ability to cope. In any match context, that can mean they have a narrow sense of focus, the focus is not quite the same, so the play becomes slower because of overthinking."

"It can also be called 'red brain or blue brain' - with red brain being the one with fear-based dialogue and internal negative self-talk, while blue brain is the cool, calm and collected one that can handle its emotions.

"What sits in the middle of these is distraction. How a player responds to distraction and filters out the noise, like the crowd, can impact which of these mindsets they move into and ultimately how the team performs."

Read more from Marie in part two of her chat about why teams some teams play better away from home and how it impacts managers - that will be on this page early next week.

Image source, Getty Images

We wanted your suggestions for West Ham United's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's another bunch of your replies:

Jon: 4-3-3. Fabianski, Neill, Dicks, Ferdinand, Bilic, Carrick, Rice, Lanzini, Payet, Di Canio, Ashton. A solid goalkeeper. A defence with a mix of skill, determination and natural ability. A really balanced midfield. Exciting forwards that are all comfortable with the ball.

Oli: 4-3-3. Miklosko, Reid, Ferdinand, Wan-Bissaka, Cresswell, Parker, Rice, Noble, Payet, Di Canio, Bowen. Absolute gun players in their prime.

Jake: 4-3-3. Fabianski, Coufal, Ogbonna, Dawson, Konchesky, Rice, Noble, Payet, Bowen, Antonio, Lingard. A lot of these players are recent and therefore from when we have seen the most success - Conference League winners and multiple European pushes.

Joe: 4-3-3. Adrian, Repka, Moore, Collins, Cresswell, Di Canio, Noble, Rice, Bowen, Tevez, Payet. I went for reliability in defence, work horses in the middle of the park and speed up front. Mark Noble as captain and penalty-taker - he never missed.

George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist

In a recent addition of the Football Extra newsletter, Roger asked BBC Sport: Players are frequently injured on international duty - such as Chris Wood for New Zealand last season, which may have ultimately cost Nottingham Forest a Champions League place. Are clubs compensated by the country or does insurance cover compensation?'

Since 2012, Fifa's Club Protection Programme has covered the salary of players injured on international duty - although there are some conditions.

Firstly, the player must be out of action for a period of at least 28 consecutive days and the injury must have been sustained during an "accident", which is defined in very boring and legally-specific detail in Fifa's guidelines, though it covers most of the examples you could think of.

The scheme pays the salary of an injured player up to the maximum amount of €7.5m (£6.6m) until they are declared fit to return for their clubs.

Transfermarkt lists Chris Wood as missing 18 days - three games - with the hip injury you mention from last March, suffered on international duty with New Zealand. As he returned inside 28 days, Forest would not have been eligible to claim compensation.

There are a couple of clubs who will currently be beneficiaries of this scheme though, including Newcastle United, whose £55m summer signing Yoane Wissa is yet to make an appearance since suffering a knee injury while playing for DR Congo.

Sign up to read more from the Football Extra newsletter

Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.

We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.

Find out more here

Andy Rowley
BBC Radio London reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Amid the backdrop of supporter discontent at how West Ham was being run, Nuno Espirito Santo arrived in September to take charge of a club stuck in 19th place.

He managed an opening draw at but three defeats followed, with the home game against Brentford particularly notable for a boycott from some supporters.

And yet the home win over Newcastle United felt like a statement from the new boss. Bold selection calls like backing 22-year-old Freddie Potts and surrounding him with willing runners like Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville paid off as, despite going behind early again, the team rallied admirably.

There was a huge roar when substitute Tomas Soucek reeled away after scoring the third goal in second half stoppage time in the 3-1 win.

That brought increased focus on the following Burnley game, given West Ham had not won back-to-back games since February. Victory moved them level with the Clarets in the table.

After the international break, they travel to Bournemouth whose impressive progress has stalled with heavy away defeats by Manchester City and Aston Villa.

Despite the uptick in form, it looks like West Ham have a tough fixture list in the run up to Christmas and so supporter unrest is unlikely to dissipate.

One can envisage a serious need for reinforcements in January to help Nuno guide the Irons to safety in the Spring.

Listen to Total Sport London on BBC Radio London, weeknights from 18:00 GMT

West Ham have reignited their interest in 23-year-old Toulouse defender Charlie Cresswell, who has been capped by England Under-21s. (Talksport), external

Roma want to sign Netherlands forward Joshua Zirkzee on loan from Manchester United in January but face competition from West Ham, Everton, Juventus and PSV Eindhoven. (Mirror), external

Meanwhile, Wolfsburg have set their sights on moves for West Ham and Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug, 32 (Sky Sports News), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Image source, Getty Images

We wanted your suggestions for West Ham's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's a first bunch:

Mike: 3-5-2. James, Moncur, Collins, Dicks, Sinclair, Bilic, Rice, Payet, J Cole, Di Canio, Hartson. Heart, courage, speed, skill and physical presence. There are also some proper motivators in there.

Alan: 4-2-3-1. Milosko, S Potts, R Ferdinand, Martin, Dicks, Rice, Carrick, Lampard, J Cole, Sinclair, Di Canio. That midfield is as good as any with an array of Premier League legends. A solid defence with a hint of menace and absolute beauty up front!

Jonny: 4-4-2. Green, Johnson, Dawson, Repka, Dicks, J Cole, Parker, Soucek, Noble, Bowen, Di Canio. Not sure it makes a lot of sense, but what at this club does at the minute?! You certainly couldn't deny the passion for the club from this selection.

Paul: 4-4-1-1. Green, S Potts, R Ferdinand, Martin, Dicks, Carrick, Parker, Lampard, Rice, J Cole, Ashton. Players who gave their all when wearing the shirt. Also, very skilful, team players who seemed capable of playing irrespective of the system.

Warren: 3-5-2. Fabianski, Unsworth, R Ferdinand, I Pearce, Sinclair, Rice, Mascherano, Dicks, Di Canio, Ashton. Best men for the job.

Former Croatia defender Slaven Bilic says he was close to returning for a second stint as West Ham manager before the Hammers opted to appoint Nuno Espirito Santo. (Talksport), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

It's international break so let's have a bit of fun to pass the time.

Now we know football existed before 1992 but for the purposes of this little exercise, keep it Premier League please.

So tell us, who would be in your dream West Ham Premier League XI?

The debate starts here.

Send your suggestions

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

Image source, Getty Images

It is not often you go to a match that ends 3-2 with a last-minute goal and leave thinking, that really was not very good.

I have a particular liking for West Ham fans - they are down to earth, are not entitled and always welcoming - but that is where the plaudits stopped after their narrow win against Burnley.

Granted Jarrod Bowen is a class act when on form, Crysencio Summerville is a livewire, and Mateus Fernandes was the best player on the pitch but that still is not enough.

However, they do have a couple of players who know how to get some easy goals. Callum Wilson is a classic poacher and Tomas Soucek likewise gets his fair share by regularly loitering with intent in the area.

‌During my career, I played with a world-class finisher in John Aldridge and asked him how he managed to get between 30 and 40 goals almost every season.

His answer was infuriatingly simple.

"Get in between the posts and go where the defenders aren't," he said. I took that on board and scored 19 goals that season from the wing.

This one little ability may well be the difference between Burnley going down and West Ham staying up because in terms of quality play, there is precious little between them as they fight to survive.

Sign up to read more from Pat Nevin in his Football Extra newsletter

Sin bins? Bonus points? Two goals if you score from distance?

Imagine a world in which you could reinvent football.

It's a dream, of course. Just a bit of fun. But stick with us.

What if you had the power to change any of the game's laws and potentially bring to an end countless hours of discussion about handball, offside, video assistant referees, or anything else you want to?

Some of BBC Sport's familiar football faces have offered their own potential rule changes.

Watch them above or read more here

The latest Sacked in the Morning podcast has landed.

BBC Radio Scotland's Amy Irons and former Scotland manager Craig Levein are joined by special guest Martin Allen to discuss the highs and lows of his extensive managerial career.

The former West Ham United player and ex-Brentford boss reveals his unique man-management style, how his upbringing influenced him, plus the treat he gave his players that turned them into little boys on Christmas Day.

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

West Ham, Everton, Fulham, and Nottingham Forest in monitoring Arsenal full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly's situation after England boss Thomas Tuchel said the 19-year-old needs more minutes to be considered for his squad. (Caught Offside), external

Meanwhile, striker Niclas Fullkrug, 32, has been given permission to leave the club in the January transfer window. (GiveMeSport, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column here

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Our West Ham fan contributor Holly Turbutt looks at the form of midfielder Mateus Fernandes and how important he is for the Hammers' season: "He's confident, he's quick and, most importantly, he's got the ability to break up play and turn that into a counter-attack. And with this, we suddenly look energetic.

"It's a very exciting time for West Ham.

"At a time when we desperately needed to find ways to improve before January, our midfield seems to be linking up beautifully, and I believe that Fernandes could be the key to saving our season."

Find more from Holly Turbutt at West Ham Network, external

Wolfsburg are exploring a possible January move for Niclas Fullkrug, with Augsburg also interested in the striker, who has been given permission to leave West Ham. (Florian Plettenberg), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between West Ham and Burnley.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Joe: West Ham might still not be the prettiest football team to watch, but it is good to see the team grind out a win. Need more of this if we have a chance in beating the drop. Tomas Soucek is so underrated, he always turns up with a goal.

Steve: Hammers started slowly as usual but Nuno Espirito Santo seems to have finally decided on the players and a system they can play in. Callum Wilson needs to get fit and Crysencio Summerville gets pushed off the ball too easily - from the stands he looks like a schoolboy playing with men. He has potential, but I'm just not sure where he can fit in other than bombing down the wing and putting in crosses, which he needs to improve his technique with. Well done all the team and Soucek again coming off the bench to score. Luckily we had a two-goal lead as Burnley scored with the last kick of the game.

Michael: Not the best performance on the pitch but all that mattered was the three points.

Adrian: There is no doubt the team are playing better now than earlier in the season. The defence still looks vulnerable but Freddie Potts has improved the midfield and Summerville looks a threat. Wilson and Jarrod Bowen worked hard. I was impressed with Burnley. They will make a fight of staying up.

Burnley fans

Graham: Excellent, confident, dominant football against a docile West Ham, but Burnley contrived to let them score more goals. Simple! Never really pressurised or consistently threatened throughout the match. Burnley just didn't have the aggression or firepower to kill off the match, and paid the price.

Pete: West Ham were there for the taking. Really disappointing substitutions that took the wind out of our sails.

Bob: Once again, we played well in part but still lost! We don't seem to quite have what it takes to dominate and get the vital wins we will need to stay up.

Jack: Definitely Scott Parker's fault. His substitution decisions were awful. To introduce Armando Broja left us with no threat for 15 minutes of the game.

West Ham's Niclas Fullkrug is a January target for Italian club AC Milan, with the Hammers considering letting the forward leave on loan. (Tuttomercatoweb - in Italian), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport