West Ham were beaten 3-1 by Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday, leaving them on the brink of Premier League relegation
Nuno Espirito Santo has conceded that West Ham’s supporters were justified in voicing their displeasure following a 3-1 loss at Newcastle. Chants of ‘You’re not fit to wear the shirt’ were heard after the defeat, which left the Hammers teetering on the verge of Premier League relegation.
The Hammers, currently two points adrift of Tottenham, will be relegated on Tuesday evening should Spurs claim victory at Chelsea. Even a draw would effectively be enough for Spurs thanks to West Ham’s vastly inferior goal difference.
A portion of the travelling faithful made their displeasure crystal clear at the final whistle, and Nuno raised no objections to their reaction. He said: “It hurts a lot, of course. This is our job, this is our life, but the fans are right and today they show their anger and frustration and they have reasons to.
“It hurts, it hurts the boys, it hurts us, it hurts the club. That’s why this week we should finish the season with dignity and respect for the fans. We should do better so we can show at the London Stadium to our fans a different performance and attitude in terms of the game.
“Anything is possible. Let’s wait for Tuesday. Even though it’s difficult, we’re still alive. Let’s see. There’s some hope.
“But more than anything is respect. Let’s prepare ourselves and show a better performance. This is what our fans deserve.”
Nick Woltemade broke the deadlock in the 15th minute with his first league goal since December, before Will Osula struck for the fourth time in six matches just four minutes later and added Newcastle’s third after the interval. Substitute Taty Castellanos pulled one back for West Ham with 21 minutes left on the clock and hit the woodwork as the visitors chased a second, but no comeback was forthcoming.
Nuno added: “Bad performance and a bad day for us. It’s going to be a tough week ahead. After today, it’s going to be a very tough week.”
It was a better day for opposite number Eddie Howe and for Newcastle forward Osula. When asked whether the Denmark Under-21 international had done enough to cement his place in the starting XI next season, Howe responded: “I don’t think he could have done any more.
“When you look at what he’s done, the goal return that he’s given us, and not just the goal return, as well his work ethic and his attitude.
“Being a number nine for Newcastle is incredibly difficult and there’s a lot of responsibility on that position. Of course, Newcastle have had some iconic number nines over the years, so I think it’s a great thing for a player to take on.
“But the responsibility is the big thing and he needs to continue to develop his game to do that over a longer period of time, but certainly he’s put himself probably in pole position to do it.”
