TALK ABOUT LETTING THE AIR OUT.
YOU COULD GIVE MOST WEST HAM UNITED SUPPORTERS TEN GOES AT GUESSING NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO’S XI, AND IT STILL WOULD NOT HAVE INVOLVED OLLIE SCARLES AT RIGHT-BACK, KYLE WALKER-PETERS ON THE LEFT, JEAN-CLAIR TODIBO AND ANDY IRVING THROUGH THE MIDDLE, AND THE CLUB’S ONLY FIT CENTRE-FORWARDS ON THE BENCH.
SCARLES AND IRVING MADE THEIR FIRST STARTS OF THE 2025/26 PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON. TODIBO WAS BACK IN DESPITE BEING LEFT OUT OF THE SQUAD FOR THE LAST TWO. AND, JUST TO ADD TO THE CONFUSION, NUNO WOULD THEN LEAVE A PROVEN TOP-FLIGHT MARKSMAN IN CALLUM WILSON ON THE SIDELINES WHILE GUIDO RODRIGUEZ ENTERED THE FRAY TO AUDIBLE DERISION.
IT WASN’T SO MUCH BOOS OR JEERS WHICH ACCOMPANIED RODRIGUEZ’S ARRIVAL WITH AROUND 70 MINUTES ON THE CLOCK DURING MONDAY’S EVENTUAL 2-0 DEFEAT BY BRENTFORD. MORE LIKE CONFUSION. LIKE 50,000 OR SO PEOPLE SAYING “HUH?” AT EXACTLY THE SAME TIME.
THROUGHOUT ALL THAT, FREDDIE POTTS DIDN’T EVEN GET A LOOK IN.
IF NUNO ESPIRITO SANTO MADE A “BRILLIANT DECISION” INTRODUCING POTTS DURING HIS DEBUT 1-1 DRAW AT EVERTON – AN EARLY VICTORY IN THE EYES OF THE SUPPORTERS – THIS WAS PRECISELY THE OPPOSITE.
NUNO HAS SPOKEN ABOUT EMBRACING THE “WEST HAM WAY” WHILE PROMISING TO GIVE PLENTY OF CHANCES TO YOUNG PLAYERS. AND, WHILE HE DID BRING ON 20-YEAR-OLD CALLUM MARSHALL FOR ANOTHER SECOND-HALF CAMEO HERE, POTTS SURELY DESERVED THE CHANCE TO REPEAT WHAT HE DID ON MERSEYSIDE A FEW WEEKS EARLIER – GIVING WEST HAM THE INTENSITY, ENERGY AND POSITIVITY THEY WERE SO CLEARLY LACKING.
INSTEAD, £14 MILLION SUMMER SIGNING SOUNGOUTOU MAGASSA ALSO REMAINED AN UNUSED SUBSTITUTE, LEAVING TOMAS SOUCEK TO DRAG HIS ACHING LIMBS ACROSS THE TURF AS SOMETHING OF A ONE-MAN MIDFIELD BEFORE RODRIGUEZ AMBLED THROUGH THE FINAL HALF-HOUR OR SO.
“IS IT [GRAHAM] POTTER IN THE DUGOUT? NO POTTS AND MAGASSA WHEN WE DON’T HAVE ANY LEGS IN MIDFIELD. NICE ONE, NUNO,” ONE FRUSTRATED SUPPORTER WROTE ON X.
“IMAGINE PICKING IRVING, SOUCEK AND RODRIGUEZ OVER POTTS AND MAGASSA,” ANOTHER AGREED.
“HOW IN THAT GAME ARE THE THREE UNUSED SUBS MAGASSA, POTTS, AND WILSON?”
“SO MANY MANAGERS ROBBING A LIVING. MIND-BLOWING CHOICES FROM NUNO TONIGHT. STARTING XI WISE AND SUBS. RODRIGUEZ AND IRVING GOT ON THE FIELD OVER MAGASSA AND POTTS. NUNO LOST THE PLOT TONIGHT.”
“IN MY EYES, THAT WAS A DIABOLIC SELECTION. TWO FULL-BACKS PLAYING ON THE WRONG SIDES, RODRIGUEZ WHO WEST HAM WANTED TO OFFLOAD PICKED AHEAD OF MAGASSA AND POTTS.”
“NUNO’S SELECTIONS ALL OVER THE PLACE. STARTING IRVING, KILMAN, TODIBO, SCARLES – INSANE. LEAVING POTTS ON THE BENCH AND BRINGING ON THE WOEFUL RODRIGUEZ – INEXPLICABLE.”
“POTTS CAME ON AND CHANGED THE MIDFIELD SCENARIO AGAINST EVERTON. HOW CAN NUNO NOT SEE THAT? AND TODAY, HE DOESN’T EVEN GET A LOOK IN?”
“STAGGERING HOW WE STARTED THIS GAME WITHOUT A CENTRE-FORWARD FROM THE OFF, AND THE FACT LIKES OF MAGASSA AND POTTS HAVE NOT HAD A KICK IS SIMPLY BAFFLING,” ANOTHER FAN ADDED. “NUNO HAS HAD A TOTAL SHOCKER TONIGHT.”
NUNO’S DECISIONS STOOD IN STARK CONTRAST TO RUBEN AMORIM’S SUCCESS AT MANCHESTER UNITED, WHERE A MUCH-CRITICISED STARTING XI PRODUCED A 2-1 WIN OVER LIVERPOOL. NUNO’S OWN EXPERIMENT, HOWEVER, BLEW UP IN HIS FACE.
