Alan Shearer rips into West Ham after 'pathetic' and 'embarrassing' Wolves defeat
West Ham put on a forgettable performance in what is being described as an ‘embarrassing defeat’.
Alan Shearer has torn into West Ham after their ‘embarrassing’ defeat to Wolves on Saturday. The Hammers were already facing a precarious position, four points from safety heading into the game, but while it is always a test in the Premier League, this game is one they will have marked as a must-win.
Wolves had now won any of their first 19 games of the season, going half of the season without picking up a victory, but they managed the thrash the Iron 3-0 on Saturday. It was an abject performance from the Hammers, and not the sort of performance many were expecting to see from a Nuno Espirito Santo side.
Santo is known for having disciplined teams, but West Ham looked second best at Molineux, and Alan Shearer did not hold back after the game. “[West Ham] were awful," Shearer told BBC Radio 5 Live. "I don't like using the word, but West Ham were pathetic. They offered nothing. Players pulling out of challenges, not throwing themselves at the ball, it was as bad as I've seen from any team."
Santo did not hold back himself after the game, admitting that his side were ‘embarrassing’. He said: “It was embarrassing. Today was the worst performance that we have had. I don't recall one day that I felt so bad in a football pitch.
"It's not about my future. It's about how can we get out of this situation, how can we improve and get the results that make us climb the table. This is what we are concerned about."
He added: “I need to see the best of them (the players). We all need to see the best out of them. Individually and as a team, we need to see them not making the mistakes that they are making. We need to see effort, we need to see reaction, we need to see character, we need to see many things.”
Can West Ham stay up?
West Ham remain four points behind Nottingham Forest, who also lost on Saturday, but while there are still plenty of points to play for, their path to safety looks a tricky one. The Hammers are seven points behind Leeds United, the next highest team above Forest, and the Whites are threatening to pull away from the relegation race, still with a game in-hand to play.
Forest look a more solid outfit under Sean Dyche, and if West Ham can’t catch them, they are going to struggle to drag anyone else into the bottom three unless there is a capitulation from one of the teams above. Despite that, Santo is remaining optimistic.
“There are still lots of points [to play for],” he said. “There's a lot of football to be played, [but] it's about realising that we cannot repeat these kinds of performances. We must do much better. It was not good enough, it was poor, it was a lack of effort that really is concerning.”
Your next West Ham read, 'Here We Go': West Ham to sign £25m star famous for 'rabona assist'