Retour
West Ham United’s draw with QPR on Friday night summed up the season so far, including how supporters feel about Nuno Espirito Santo’s style of play.
Frustrating, slow, lack of risk and ambition. There is a sense amongst the West Ham fans that the group on the pitch can be on the front foot a lot more often and play with more speed.
But how does Nuno’s side compare, from an attacking point of view, with the rest of the Championship, because on paper, the Hammers seemingly have most of the league’s best players at their disposal?
There's been a LOT of debate recently 👀
There was a fresh round of Championship action on Tuesday night, with Swansea City and Middlesbrough continuing to march forward by securing two huge wins and maintaining their place in the top two.
But the duo still haven’t scored more goals than Nuno’s side this term, despite playing an extra game.
| Team | Games played | Most goals scored in the Championship |
| West Ham | 9 | 23 |
| Southampton | 9 | 20 |
| Middlesbrough | 10 | 20 |
| Norwich City | 9 | 17 |
| Birmingham City | 10 | 17 |
| Stoke City | 10 | 17 |
Bowen is the best player in the Championship, and there isn’t anyone else close to him, but you sense he and everyone else can do more.
When it comes to ‘big chances per game’, according to Sofascore, West Ham are creating around 4.3 per match, and it’s nearly double the leaders, Swansea City, who are creating 2.9 big chances per game, as only six other sides are creating three or more chances per match.
| Team | Most big chances created per game |
| West Ham | 4.3 |
| Millwall | 3.5 |
| Middlesbrough | 3.4 |
| Southampton | 3.3 |
| Birmingham City | 3.1 |
| Norwich City | 3.1 |
| Cardiff City | 3 |
Sometimes, there could be an element of bad luck to your game, such as a goalkeeper producing a masterclass, saving a very late penalty or hitting the woodwork on far too many occasions.
West Ham have struck the woodwork four times this term, and it is double the amount of leaders Swansea (two), with a plethora of teams, including rock bottom Preston, hitting the woodwork six times.
| Team | Number of times woodwork hit |
| Middlesbrough | 6 |
| Millwall | 6 |
| Wrexham | 6 |
| Cardiff City | 6 |
| Preston North End | 6 |
| Birmingham | 5 |
| West Ham | 4 |
| West Brom | 4 |
| Wolves | 4 |
Several attacking numbers stack in favour of West Ham, but you can’t deny what you see with your own eyes, and there needs to be more spice to the play.
Just the speed of what the fan is watching needs to be tuned up, including showing more intelligence and precision in the final third.