Daniel is an experienced football journalist and editor at Football FanCast with over a decade of experience covering the EFL, Scottish football and the wider professional game. Since beginning his career in 2015, he has developed extensive expertise in data-led analysis and original football features.  

Daniel began his career at Fresh Press before writing and editing for publications including Read Norwich, Read Celtic and Anfield Watch. Throughout his career, he has interviewed football figures including Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, former striker Adebayo Akinfenwa and journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Since joining Football FanCast, Daniel has contributed as both a writer and editor. His specialist knowledge has also seen him contribute to BBC Norfolk and assist DAZN with commentary research. A Norwich City season-ticket holder, he combines professional reporting experience with first-hand knowledge of the English and Scottish games.

West Ham United head into the final international break of the year off the back of three defeats in their last four matches in the Championship.

The Hammers have only picked up one point from their last three games, a 3-3 draw with Cardiff City, and Scott Parker is still looking for his first win with the club.

A 2-1 defeat against Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park on Saturday afternoon marked the manager's first defeat in charge, and shows the ex-Bournemouth boss that he has plenty of work to do to turn things around at the London Stadium.

Fixing the defensive issues should be at the top of his priority list, with 23 goals conceded in 15 matches, but removing Max Kilman from the team may not be a part of the solution.

Why West Ham should not drop Max Kilman

It is fair to say that the English defender has not been a fan favourite in London since his £40m move from Premier League rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer of 2024.

The 29-year-old centre-back lost 56% of his ground duels and gave away two penalties in 17 starts in the top-flight last season, as the Hammers were relegated to the Championship, which explains why he is not regarded as a key player for the club by some supporters.

Despite his status at the club and his failure to get back in time to mark Andri Gudjohnsen for the opening goal on Saturday against Blackburn, Kilman should not be dropped.

The former Wolves star has been dominant in his duels, winning 64% of them in the league this season, and has shown that he can be effective when the team around him is playing well.

Kilman can be serviceable in the Championship if the structure of the defence around him is better than it had been under Nuno Espirito Santo, due to his dominant defending, and it is down to Parker to create that structure for the Englishman.

West Ham star has officially become a bigger problem than Kilman

Whilst the £40m-rated defender has been a problem during his time with the Hammers, particularly last season, one of his teammates has officially announced himself as an even bigger problem for the club in the Championship.

Mads Hermansen looked like a fantastic signing on paper when the club signed him from Leicester City for a fee of £20m in the summer of 2025, after he prevented 4.13 more goals than expected in two seasons with the Foxes in the top two divisions.

Unfortunately, the Denmark international conceded a whopping 5.11 more goals than expected based on the xG against him in 18 appearances in the Premier League for West Ham last term, making four errors that led to shots or goals for the opposition.

The Hammers may have hoped that relegation to the Championship would have been beneficial for the goalkeeper, because he won the league with Leicester, but that has not been the case.

He has been just as disappointing in the second tier as he was in the Premier League for West Ham, and the Dane now looks like an even bigger problem than Kilman.

Whilst he was not directly at fault for either of the goals scored, Hermansen conceded two goals from three shots against him in the defeat to Blackburn last time out.

Hermansen now ranks among the worst goalkeepers in the Championship in a host of shot-stopping metrics, conceding 4.13 more goals than the average goalkeeper would be expected to from the quality of shots that he has faced.

Aside from coming out to claim crosses, which he excels at, the Danish shot-stopper has been a liability between the sticks with his failure to make routine saves on a regular basis.

The 26-year-old stopper, who conceded three goals from his four shots in the 3-3 draw with Cardiff, has announced himself as an even bigger problem than Kilman because of how disappointing his general play has been between the sticks.

West Ham's £40m centre-back, at the very least, has been dominant in his duels and contributed with two goals for the club, which means that he has been more effective in his position than Hermansen has been in his.

Podcaster Tom Rennie suggested that Parker should drop the goalkeeper "out of this team forever" and it is hard to disagree with that sentiment, given his form this season.West Ham have Alphonse Areola on the bench and it could be time to give the Frenchman an opportunity to have a run of matches in the Championship, because of how disappointing Hermansen has been.