West Ham fans were right to want Nuno Espirito Santo out and the board did the correct thing by sacking him according to leading Sky Sports pundit Alan Smith, who also has a warning for imminent replacement Scott Parker.

The Hammers moved to sack Nuno Espirito Santo on Tuesday morning after a ‘thorough review’ of the club’s start to the Championship season.

Some pundits and rival fans have voiced surprise at the club’s decision to axe Nuno and replace him with Parker.

But Alan Smith has backed the West Ham board and fans over the sacking of ‘insular’ Nuno.

And while Smith thinks the appointment of Parker makes sense, he has warned the former Hammers midfielder his history with the club will only hold so much water with fans when he returns to take his place in the dugout.

“(I’m) a little bit (surprised) at the decision to sack Nuno (because) I thought if he was going to go, he’d go when they got relegated,” Smith said on Sky Sports News.

“And they’re not massively detached from the top and it is still early in the season.

“But there’s always something more behind these decisions. He’s quite insular isn’t he Nuno, he doesn’t come across particularly well in media interviews, he doesn’t give too much of himself away and his style of football is pragmatic.

Smith says Nuno not entertaining enough for West Ham as Parker warned

“It’s not particularly entertaining on the eye and we know West Ham fans want to see a more expansive style. It’s a decisive call by the owners.

“Scott Parker coming in, we’ll see if that makes a difference…

“Time will tell, he kind of fits the criteria, the fans initially (will be saying) ‘Yea, one of our own, represented this club with pride’. But that only lasts so long of course, because you’ve got to start winning games, playing good football.

“But yeah he’s been around the block in terms of getting teams promoted from the Championship so he’s certainly not in strange waters, really good move for him, really good move.

“They’ll be hoping he can hoist them up and get them back into the big time at the first time of asking.”

It has been confirmed Parker is flying into the UK for his West Ham unveiling and Mark Noble will be part of his backroom staff.

However, it is not clear whether Parker will take charge of his first game against Cardiff on Wednesday or Blackburn on Saturday.

The three-time Hammer of the Year will then have two weeks to work with the players not away on international duty before a home game against Preston at the London Stadium.