West Ham vs Brentford | PL | 20.10.25 | Predictions and Match Thread

[stubbo-admin]

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Match Centre: 

 Odds: 
WHU: 8/5
Draw: 5/2
Arsenal: 19/10

 Pre-Match Press Conference: 
Official Site

 Match Preview: 
Analytics United 

 Watch-along:
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It will have been 16 days since we saw what football at the top end of things could look like by Arsenal, who made us look second class citizens in footballing terms.

This game is unusual this season, in so far as the bookies have us down as favourites to win.  Monday nigth, under the lights....but how empty will the bowl be.  With a boycott planned, kids for a quid, general sale tickets up for cheap, and Nuno's first home game, the atmosphere and attendance is anyone's guess.

Injuries wise, our Big Fucking German is big fucking injured again...reducing the options up front to the two Callum's.  Nuno chose to save ~86k in wages last time out, preferring the pace and mobility of Marshall over Wilson, and it will be interesting to see if he does the same thing here, or goes for a 'makeshift' centreforward.  And of course Soucek is back.

Other than that, there are no fresh concerns reported going into the weekend.

Predicted Starting Lineup:

Areola

Wan Bissaka   Mavropanos    Kilman    Diouf

Magassa

Fernandes             Soucek       Paqueta       Summerville

Bowen (c)

Subs: Hermansen, KWP, Igor, Potts, Guilherme, Marshall, Rodriguez, Wilson, Scarles

Predicted Score: 1-0 (Soucek)

COYI

 

 

[southbankbornnbred]

He’ll never admit it, because managers never do, but Nuno knows he fucked up royally with that tricksy, batshit starting line up.

That's why he wasted three half-time substitutions unpicking his own mess. Off came Scarles, off came KWP, on came Mavrapanos (who, incredibly, is our best centre half because the others are utterly hopeless).

He was trying to be a clever cսnt. And he got found out. Do the basics well first. Then be a clever cսnt.

[Sir Alf]

Carragher saying what most fans have been saying for season after season. No athleticism, pace, legs, physicality and that hurts us most in midfield.  As Zico says, we have to have 3 in midfield at a minimum. Rice was masking the problem for a long while and his replacements highlight our disasterous lack of planning, recruitment etc. That all stems from the owner but Moyes , Loppy and Potter failed to address it.  Magassa aint that quick but is quicker than most and physically strong. Potts aint quick but can compete physically and passes well, carries it well. Fernandes was not great but not the worst and is not a wide left midfielder. Try him in the no 10 role and as Zico says use him Magassa, Potts and Paqueta in centre mid to at least compete. 

Wilson should get some minutes and probably Bowen will have to help centrally too unfortunately.  KWP played as a wide right attacker for Southampton at times so is an option there.  

But all this is “making do”. The squad reflects the chaotic, short term, reactive thinking of Sullivan and Brady. A complete mess.  Im saying we are lookimg certainties for relegation as things stand and its no surprise. Even Moyes last 2 seasons invluding the conf win year we were largrly poor in the league. Finishing 9th by goal difference and only 4 or 5 pointd above fimishing 15th ir 16th. We have been sliding since 2022 and are now in freefall

 

[southbankbornnbred]

The manager is not at fault, international break didn't do him any favours 

 

Nonsense - he may not have been here long, but he absolutely WAS at fault as much as the players tonight.

He made five or six utterly batshit decisions.

Every Premier League side was hampered by the international break. Including Brentford. And we made them look like Pep’s famous Barcelona side.

1. Left back Ollie Scarles at right back.
2. Right back Walker-Peters at left back.
3. No Wan-Bissaka, despite #1 and #2.
4. Mavrapanos on the bench behind Todibo and Kilman.
5. Championship calibre Irving in midfield.
6. Brazil’s #8 midfielder playing as a target man #9 on his own.
7. No striker in the starting line up.

All utterly batshit in context of our first home game under a new manager.

Keep it simple, Nuno. Play your best players in their best positions.

[southbankbornnbred]

The manager is not at fault, international break didn't do him any favours 

 

 

Nonsense - he may not have been here long, but he absolutely WAS at fault as much as the players tonight.

He made five or six utterly batshit decisions.

Every Premier League side was hampered by the international break. Including Brentford. And we made them look like Pep’s famous Barcelona side.

[zico]

I don't even think that big fella with tattoos who burst into the dressing room at the start of the 85/86 season to give them all a bollocking would even get this lot to put a bit of effort in! For too long we have had no legs in midfield. The only thing I can think of is to make sure we always have three in there. Three from Potts, Paqueta, Fernandes, Magassa as a three? I don't know but Souceks legs have gone, Rodriguez is just shit and as much as I hoped he may do well it was shown Irving isn't good enough. Even if you got the midfield right what do you do at centre back? Kilman, Todibo or Igor are the only options are they not now Mav is out, unless there are any youngsters who can play there? Is Oggy available on a free?

[pdcwhu]

The manager is not at fault, international break didn't do him any favours 

[southbankbornnbred]

Carragher,West Ham are the worst athletic team that i have seen in a very very long time.

This is 100% right from the scouse gobshite.

[Fauxstralian]

We have had some shit performances this season but that was right up there
A disorganised rabble 
2-0 going on 5
Their keeper could have brought out a deckchair and a newspaper 

[honky cat]

I dont understand why he didnt carry on with the everton, arsenal teams - fullkrug thankfully injured, so just a couple of tweaks needed

i admit i was positive when the team was announced this evening, because silly old me thought - yeah great, they must have come up with something much better over the past fortnight. I never dreamed we would be going backwards, absolute garbage.

[Massive Attack]

Nuno, "the fans were concerned and that filtered down to the players making them anxious".

 

 

Did he really just say that? Talk about passing the fucking buck you excuse ridden coward. That aint on the fans at all. Fucking cսnt!

[southbankbornnbred]

Among the 400 million things that were truly abysmal tonight, it also really showed that we are a physically weak team.

Brentford are a big side. But they are also really well conditioned and looked as fit as fiddles.

Contrast that with our physically weak mob like Walker-Peters (tossed around like a dog toy tonight), Scarles (young, so has an excuse), Irving, Fernandes, Summerville and Marshall.

Even our centre backs aren’t as strong as they should be: Kilman, Todibo etc. I’m not sure who is in charge of our strength and conditioning at Rush Green, but he needs to have a think about preparation.

It really looked like men against boys at times tonight. You could knock over half of our side with a well-directed fart.

[Anders]

Avram Grant’s team was worse.

Don’t blame Nuno, he has just arrived. Blame a series of bad transfer decisions. Blame the majority of a squad that don’t seem to care. Blame an absence of decent centre backs.

You can’t ignore that most other teams supporters blame West Ham’s fans for getting rid of David Moyse and say this is just desserts. Sick club ?

 

But you CAN blame Nuno for some truly horrendous decisions tonight. I’m sorry, but no manager gets a free pass when he drops Diouf, puts Scarles (a left back) at right back and Walker-Peters (a right back) at left back, plays a Championship player in Irving alongside a guy whose legs have gone (Soucek) and puts Brazil’s #8 midfielder upfront on his own as a #9. Then refuses to bring on the only half-decent striker we have on our books.

Sorry - nobody gets away with that without justified criticism. What we saw from Nuno tonight was was utterly batshit.

Cant disagree with any of that, but the underlying problem isn’t the proven manager, it’s a relegation squad.

[RBshorty]

Primed for the drop my friend’s. Championship here we come.!

[twoleftfeet]

No shit Sherlock! We’ve been saying that since Rice left.

[ragingbull]

Carragher,West Ham are the worst athletic team that i have seen in a very very long time.

[Massive Attack]

You can’t ignore that most other teams supporters blame West Ham’s fans for getting rid of David Moyse and say this is just desserts. Sick club ?

 

 

Utter bollocks, if Moyes fortunately didn't have both Rice and Bowen we would have been relegated already by now when he was manager. 

[twoleftfeet]

Anxious? Fuck me he should try watching that shit.

Lose on Friday and he is done. 

[Django]

Avram Grant’s team was worse.

Don’t blame Nuno, he has just arrived. Blame a series of bad transfer decisions. Blame the majority of a squad that don’t seem to care. Blame an absence of decent centre backs.

You can’t ignore that most other teams supporters blame West Ham’s fans for getting rid of David Moyse and say this is just desserts. Sick club ?

 

But you CAN blame Nuno for some truly horrendous decisions tonight. I’m sorry, but no manager gets a free pass when he drops Diouf, puts Scarles (a left back) at right back and Walker-Peters (a right back) at left back, plays a Championship player in Irving alongside a guy whose legs have gone (Soucek) and puts Brazil’s #8 midfielder upfront on his own as a #9. Then refuses to bring on the only half-decent striker we have on our books.

Sorry - nobody gets away with that without justified criticism. What we saw from Nuno tonight was was utterly batshit.

 

 

100%. Most awful management of a game since big Sam threw the kids under the bus against Forrest. 

[Anders]

We’ll be bottom of the league by 15:45 on Sunday.

I cant see where a home win comes from.

[ragingbull]

Nuno, "the fans were concerned and that filtered down to the players making them anxious".

[El Scorchio]

Shocking what Nuno did with tonight's tactics. Hung some players out to dry.  

 

 

I don’t understand any of it. What on earth was any of the thinking behind it? The starting line up, the tactics, the substitutions. None of it makes any logical sense. It’s like every manager is on a mission to make us even worse than we were previously by using more and more insane methods to lose football games. 

Dartboard Football mate.

 

 

Feels like it, but what is it about West Ham that seems to make managers lose their minds and make absolutely MENTAL, nonsensical decisions? The last three have all done it and gone down rabbit holes of insanity. At least with the last two it took a short while. Nuno seems to have lost his marbles in double quick time. What possessed him to make that string of decisions tonight?

I was for a moment glad he'd seen the error of his ways in the starting line up and gone bold to address it at half time, but then I saw the subs and just lost a bit of hope. We were an absolute makeshift mess at the end and it just felt like he was completely making it up as he went along with no logic to anything and it showed in how lost the players looked and how disjointed it all was.

[Sir Alf]

Trouble is we have 11 games until Jan and will lose the lot based on tonight.  Problems all over the pitch but total domination in midfield was the biggest. Still no legs in there and we’ve been saying that since BFS brought us back up.  

We didnt concede ( just ) from a set piece? I found a positive but its irrelevant. Brentford missed 4 or 5 gilt edged chances. 0-6 or 0-7 would have been a much fairer reflection of the game.

Irvine and Soucek in centre mid ? WTF.  Fernandes invisible, Paqueta wasteful even tho he did try at times. He should be deep as a no 8 and Fernandes the 10 imo. 

Scarles is young but he aint Prem level and Marshall is not a central striker and since we couldnt get or keep the ball he got zero service. But he’s too lightweight to lead the line.  

The inverted backs was just nonsense. KWP had done well as a right back but looked poor and too small tonight.

Thing is only Potts and Magassa to come in and now we’ve lost our best ( relatively speaking not sayimg he’s a superstar ) CB. 

The squad, manager and of course owner all exposed tonight.  

No crumbs of comfort or cause for hope that I could see.  

[southbankbornnbred]

Avram Grant’s team was worse.

Don’t blame Nuno, he has just arrived. Blame a series of bad transfer decisions. Blame the majority of a squad that don’t seem to care. Blame an absence of decent centre backs.

You can’t ignore that most other teams supporters blame West Ham’s fans for getting rid of David Moyse and say this is just desserts. Sick club ?

 

 

But you CAN blame Nuno for some truly horrendous decisions tonight. I’m sorry, but no manager gets a free pass when he drops Diouf, puts Scarles (a left back) at right back and Walker-Peters (a right back) at left back, plays a Championship player in Irving alongside a guy whose legs have gone (Soucek) and puts Brazil’s #8 midfielder upfront on his own as a #9. Then refuses to bring on the only half-decent striker we have on our books.

Sorry - nobody gets away with that without justified criticism. What we saw from Nuno tonight was was utterly batshit.

[Massive Attack]

Quick word about those leaving 1/2 an hour before the end when we were only one down:

CUNTS

 

 

The divs couldn't have got it more wrong having made the effort to turn up to a game designated a Boycott they then leave dirt early defeating the whole purpose of staying away in the fucking first place!

[Forest Gate Ugly]

I assumed that Nuno would keep it all nice and simple for the dopey bunch we have representing us currently. What was he thinking? Today was a day to go back to basics and to try to find some confidence and cohesion. He seems a smart thoughtful guy but in one game he’s managed to make himself well and truly part of the problem of this truly dysfunctional club.