West Ham: 'We have to pull fans back together'

There were empty seats before West Ham took on Brentford in their London derby. And plenty during the game. And even more so as the game drew to a close.

The fans who were left booed their team off after a truly miserable 2-0 defeat that could easily have been 5-0.

These are toxic times at London Stadium, with some fans staying away in a protest against the running of the club.

New Hammers boss Nuno Espirito Santo - yet to win after three games - admits the players have to work hard to get the fans back onside.

There was no sugar-coating this performance by the head coach with his after-match verdict.

"Not good enough. Poor," said the Portuguese, who was managing his first West Ham home game since replacing Graham Potter, after two away trips.

"Fairly Brentford won the game, they were the better team.

"I think we are all concerned. You can see our own fans are concerned. Concern becomes anxiety, becomes silence. That anxiety passes to the players. We have a problem.

"It's understandable. It's up to us to change. The fans need to see something that pleases them and they can support us and give us energy.

"I understand it, I understand it totally, and I respect it. It's up to us, it's up to us to change it. We are the people who have to pull the fans back together."

West Ham remain 19th, with just four points from their opening eight games. They are in action in the next Premier League game too, visiting Leeds on Friday.

Nuno told BBC Sport: "It's a challenge for all of us. It's up to us to change the momentum and bring our fans back to support us. In four days' time we need a big improvement."

There were clusters of empty seats at London Stadium, some as a result of the latest phase of protests organised by supporters' group Hammers United, who want chairman David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady to leave.

The pair have been at the club for 15 years and were instrumental in the team's move from the much smaller Upton Park to London Stadium, which hosted athletics at the 2012 Olympics and has a capacity for football matches of more than 62,000.

However, a large number of fans feel the club have lost their essence with the move from Upton Park. They remember their old home creating a far better atmosphere for games, with the covered athletics track at London Stadium also leaving those in the top tier with a poor view.

Before the loss to Crystal Palace last month, which proved to be Graham Potter's last game in charge, about 3,000 Hammers fans protested outside the directors' entrance.

The supporters chanted for Sullivan and Brady to leave the club, saying promises had not been kept, the squad had not been strengthened, training facilities had not been upgraded and the matchday experience was not a good one.

Now there has been a boycott by some fans and the campaign against the club's leadership is set to continue. A larger march, when organisers hope at least 9,000 people will attend, has been planned for the home match against Burnley on Saturday, 8 November.

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