Clyde Best shares what he really thinks about Nuno Espirito Santo as West Ham manager amid relegation twist
West Ham hero Clyde Best has backed Nuno Espirito Santo to succeed as the club’s manager as they battle to survive relegation from the Premier League this season.
Nuno was appointed as West Ham manager in September, succeeding Graham Potter after his ill-fated eight-month spell in charge.
The Hammers sat 19th in the table upon his arrival, and while performances have been better on the whole, they are now in 18th and still at real risk of being relegated this season.
Both of his wins in charge of the club so far came in early November, against Newcastle and Burnley respectively, but a gap of five points has now opened up between West Ham and 17th-placed Nottingham Forest after a poor recent run of results.
Sources have told Football Insider that West Ham want to spend big in January to aid Nuno‘s survival efforts, and club legend Best has backed him to be a success due to his impressive CV.
Best has ‘trust’ in Nuno despite West Ham’s poor form
The Hammers have not won any of their last six games, but have picked up valuable points away at Bournemouth, Man United and Brighton.
Nuno became the club’s first black manager when he took charge in September, and he recently insisted that it is a “privilege” to be the only black manager currently in charge of a Premier League team.
West Ham hero Best was the first black superstar of English football, after he moved from Bermuda at the age of 17 in 1968 to play for the Hammers.
He endured racism and constant hostility from those in the terraces back then, but was a pioneer for change as he let his skills on the pitch do the talking and quickly became a fan-favourite in East London.
Best’s life, career and battle against racism in English football will be chronicled in a documentary film about him called Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story. It will premiere from 25 to 28 March in London.
Speaking to Football Insider at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa in Bermuda, Best admitted that he was pleased to see Nuno appointed as West Ham’s manager, and backed him to be a success at the club going forward.
He said: “I don’t look at the colour of the person’s skin. I just look at the coach and I want him to do a good job for West Ham.
“Luckily enough, I know that Nuno is a good manager because he did good things in Portugal, where he comes from, and he’s done good things in England previously with Wolves and Nottingham Forest.
“I trust that he’s going to do okay for us. I really hope he does, because it’s nice to see him at a club like ours.”
Best wants West Ham to return to their former glory
West Ham have been in the Premier League for 30 of the 34 seasons since its formation in 1992, but have not finished above fifth place in the top-flight during that time.
Most of the major silverware that they have won as a club was lifted back in the 1960s and 70s, with the Conference League triumph in 2023 being their first significant honour won since 1980.
Best looked back on the Hammers’ most successful period while he was making his name as a youngster, while speaking to Football Insider, as he picked out how influential the club was to England’s 1966 World Cup win.
He said: “We’re known as a football club and like I’ve said, West Ham is a club that won the World Cup for England.
“A lot of people don’t know that today, but the reason we say that is because, in the final, Geoff Hurst scored three, Martin Peters scored the other one and Bobby Moore supplied every pass in the game.
“We let people know we won the World Cup in England.”
One Hammers star who could be handed a chance to shine at a World Cup next year is Jarrod Bowen, but they are certainly a long way off having numerous players who make an impact on such a massive stage nowadays.