Another one bites the dust. Just 13 games into their Championship promotion push, West Ham have pulled the trigger on Nuno Espírito Santo.

So, it’s over for Nuno in East London. West Ham United have sacked head coach Nuno Espírito Santo with immediate effect, blaming a disappointing start to life back in the Championship.

And let’s be honest, this has been coming.

The 52-year-old Portuguese was given a lifeline. He stayed on even after overseeing that painful relegation from the Premier League last season. The board backed him to bring them straight back up. On paper, they were favourites for automatic promotion.

Despite a decent little run after a wobbly start, the Hammers have now lost back-to-back league games to Southampton and West Brom, and find themselves eighth in the table, six points off leaders Middlesbrough.

The club’s statement was blunt: “Following a thorough review of the start to the EFL Championship season, the board of directors believe that a change is necessary at this time to ensure that the club’s objectives and expectations remain on track.”

Assistant coach Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeping coach Rui Barbosa have gone with him.

For fans, this feels like déjà vu. Nuno, who built his reputation with that brilliant spell at Wolves and had stints at Tottenham and Nottingham Forest, arrived in September last year as the firefighter. He couldn’t keep West Ham up, but the human angle here is loyalty: the board gave him the summer window, gave him the chance to rebuild. He’s known for being a proper players’ manager, quiet, dignified. Players liked him.

But football is ruthless. Data doesn’t lie. In 13 Championship games, West Ham have picked up just 19 points. For a club with the second-highest wage bill in the division and a 62,500-seater stadium to fill, eighth simply isn’t good enough.

This is bigger than one manager. This is about West Ham’s identity crisis. From European nights under Moyes to the Championship in two years, it’s a staggering fall. Relegation cost the club an estimated £100m+ in TV revenue. Failing to bounce back at the first attempt would be financially catastrophic and could force a fire-sale of stars like Jarrod Bowen.

Historically, West Ham have never been patient with managers in the second tier. Remember Avram Grant in 2010-11? Sacked after relegation, Sam Allardyce came in and got instant promotion. The board wants that Allardyce blueprint again.

West Ham say recruitment is already underway. Expect names like former boss David Moyes, Ipswich’s Kieran McKenna, or even a wild card like Steve Cooper to be thrown around this week. Whoever comes in has one job: automatic promotion. Nothing less.

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