Two home defeats, one statement before breakfast, and a club legend reportedly on a flight home from his holidays. West Ham sacked Nuno Espírito Santo on Tuesday morning after a poor start to the Championship season, with Scott Parker reportedly lined up to replace him, and the fan YouTubers have been arguing about it ever since.
The club confirmed Nuno left with immediate effect, along with assistant Rui Pedro Silva and goalkeeper coach Rui Barbosa. West Ham sit eighth in the Championship after 13 games, four points off the automatic places, after home defeats to Southampton and West Brom. Mark Noble, Steve Potts and Gerard Prenderville take temporary charge for Wednesday's trip to Cardiff. Sky Sports News, the Guardian and talkSPORT all report an agreement in principle with Parker. The club says it will not comment further until a new head coach is confirmed. So, nothing signed yet.
Nuno: nobody is pretending to be sad
The Bobby Moore Stand's Gary got the call from Sky Sports News at quarter past nine and was on air by ten. By his own account, he "almost levitated out of bed". On set he was "elated, relieved", and called keeping Nuno in the summer "rewarding failure". The line of the day went to the football itself: "We've ended up with a three times worse manager than David Moyes playing exactly the same type of football." His prescription for Cardiff was blunter still. "Defensive ain't going to do it."
WestHamFanTV was no kinder about the departing man, calling him one of the worst managers the club has ever had, and saying so "with my chest". He also noted, with some relish, which players had liked the club's announcement on Instagram.
Parker: the right CV, the wrong football?
This is where the rooms split. WestHamFanTV opened with the confession that matters. Parker was his favourite player when he was at the club. Then, the problem: "I've said for a long time I don't want Scott Parker." His complaint is style, defence first every time, and another "out of work freebie". His verdict on the club's ambition had a swimming-pool image attached: "one flipping armband in the water". He will back Parker anyway, on one condition. "Got to win the league, mate."
HammersChat went for the good, the bad and the ugly. The good is three promotions out of three from this division, and he understands why the board went for it. The bad is he stopped watching Parker's Burnley as a neutral because it was dull. "I think he will get us up. I just don't think it's going to be fun." He also issued a public safety notice: "Get ready for the cardigans."
JPWHU: a short-term fix at best
JPWHU had a video ready listing replacement candidates. Then the club sacked Nuno and Parker arrived on the shortlist before he could press record. He made it anyway. "I don't think Scott Parker's going to last the distance." By his own numbers, Parker just about clears the Sam Allardyce benchmark of a point and a half per game. He wants Parker treated as the man to get them up, with a bigger name brought in after that. Kieran McKenna and Thomas Frank were on his list of six. WestHamFanTV, for the record, is glad they didn't get Frank.
Noble and the dressing room: the case for
WestHamNetwork was the calmest room in east London. Parker should not be written off "before he's even taken a training session". He gave the board credit for acting, said it would have been nicer a few weeks ago, and flagged a report that senior players were consulted before the decision. Noble potentially staying on in Parker's backroom team excites him most. He pictures two of the club's great modern leaders in one dugout, and lands on "cautiously optimistic".
Gary at The Bobby Moore Stand came round to it too. "He's got fight," he said, and remembered the half-time team talk away at West Brom that WestHamNetwork brought up as well. Then the scouting report nobody else would offer on Sky: "He's known to be a bit of a lunatic. But we need that."
So nobody is mourning Nuno, nobody is thrilled about the football they expect, and almost everybody thinks Parker gets them promoted. The real argument is what happens after that. It is an odd place to be in November, eighth in the table and already arguing about next season's relegation fight.