The West Ham Breakdown

By Jack EldertonSports News Sports News Soccer

The West Ham Breakdown episodes

August 20 #2 The West Ham Preview: Charlton (H)
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Jack and Darcy break down everything you need to know ahead of West Ham's first home game of the season, as Nuno Espírito Santo hosts Nathan Jones' Charlton at the London Stadium. They discuss how The Addicks play, which former Premier League players have arrived at The Valley this summer, who their key players are and much more.

Timestamps:
(00:00) West Ham vs Charlton preview
(00:32) How are we feeling after the Burnley game?
(01:36) What's changed at Charlton this season?
(03:14) Charlton's transfer window so far
(04:51) Charlton's In Possession report
(07:34) How do Charlton play with the ball?
(10:06) How do Charlton create chances?
(12:33) Charlton's Out of Possession report
(16:01) How do Charlton press?
(17:51) How do Charlton defend the box?
(19:38) Charlton's key players
(19:57) Lloyd Jones
(21:31) Tyreece Campbell
(22:56) Conor Coventry
(24:04) Billy Koumetio
(25:54) Timothy Ouma

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You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

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31 min
August 19 #129 West Ham Sign Joël Piroe From Leeds United
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Cal and Jack break down West Ham's summer signings of Joël Piroe from Leeds and Arne Engels from Celtic, as well as the Hammers' Championship opener, a 2-2 draw away to Burnley at Turf Moor. They discuss what Piroe brings to West Ham and how he fits into Nuno Espírito Santo's tactics, Oliver Scarles excellent performance before giving away Burnley's penalty, what went so wrong in the second half that meant West Ham lost all control of the game and so much more.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:27) Initial reactions to the Burnley game
(07:04) Joël Piroe: What he adds to West Ham, what his signing means for our current players
(16:42) Arne Engels: Our thoughts on his record-breaking transfer
(21:36) Burnley 2-2 West Ham review
(22:27) First half: Why West Ham looked so comfortable on the ball
(27:59) West Ham's young players on show
(30:02) Mohamadou Kanté & Lewis Orford: What went well, what needs improvement
(34:51) Oliver Scarles: His overall performance, his big mistake, where this leaves him going forward
(39:42) Second half: What went wrong? Why did West Ham completely lose control?
(47:49) How West Ham should have dealt with Burnley's late game pressure
(51:26) Identity & Style: What is Nuno Espírito Santo building at West Ham? Is promotion a realistic expectation?

Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

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1 hr 3 min
August 13 #1 The West Ham Preview: Burnley (A)
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Jack and Darcy break down everything you need to know ahead of West Ham's opening fixture of the 2026/27 EFL Championship season against Burnley at Turf Moor. They discuss the changes we expect to see from the Clarets now Nicky Hayen had replaced Scott Parker in the dugout, who their most important players are and much more.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Welcome to the new preview show!
(01:18) How are we feeling ahead of the Burnley game?
(02:43) Are we confident with the West Ham squad as it stands?
(04:59) What's changed at Burnley this season?
(06:16) Burnley's In Possession report
(10:10) Burnley's Out of Possession report
(13:42) Who are Burnley's most important players?

Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

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26 min
August 11 #128 How Does Manor Solomon Fit in at West Ham
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Cal and Jack break down West Ham's second summer signing, Manor Solomon from Spurs, as well as the 3-1 EFL Cup victory against Portsmouth at the London Stadium! They discuss what we can expect to see from Solomon this season, how West Ham turned round a rough first 30 minutes to outplay Portsmouth and much more.
Find the charity auction for a West Ham signed shirt here: https://www.jumblebee.co.uk/westhamsignedfootballshirt
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:54) Our thoughts on West Ham signing Manor Solomon from Tottenham
(04:34) Solomon's injury record is a concern
(06:39) Championship experience: Solomon helped Leeds gain promotion
(07:49) How did Solomon perform last season at Fiorentina?
(09:01) What can West Ham fans expect from Manor Solomon?
(17:00) West Ham 3-1 Portsmouth match review
(24:34) Taty Castellanos: Excellent movement and finding goalscoring form
(30:24) Edson Álvarez: What role could he play this season?
(36:15) Lewis Orford: This season's break out star?
(44:55) How West Ham have adapted their build up play to dominate the Championship
(50:28) First 30 minutes: What went wrong?
(54:44) Why rotations could be pivotal for West Ham this season

Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

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1 hr 4 min
August 04 #127 Once More Unto The Breach
Support the show and get more from Analytics United: https://www.patreon.com/AnalyticsUnited
Cal and Jack break down West Ham's preseason, discussing the tactical developments we've seen over the past couple of weeks, some of the biggest West Ham transfer stories and what needs to happen before West Ham host Portsmouth in the Carabao Cup to kick off the season!

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:23) Key takeaways West Ham's preseason
(06:25) Our thoughts on the Keiber Lamadrid experiment
(07:58) Midfield flux: The lack of creativity and how it could effect Malick Diouf negatively
(11:12) The difficulty of adapting stylistically to the Championship and the importance of being defensively solid
(18:57) Callum Marshall leaves to join Luton on a permeant transfer
(22:20) Freddie Potts: Is selling him to Club Brugge a mistake?
(31:09) Are there players who featured in preseason that could play a bigger role than we expect?
(34:45) The parallels between Kilman and Mavropanos
(40:37) 3 things West Ham need to do before the season starts

Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

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Promoted by: https://www.free-stock-music.com
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52 min
July 21 #126 The Hard Work Starts Now
Support the show and get more from Analytics United: https://www.patreon.com/AnalyticsUnited
Cal & Jack break down West Ham's first public preseason game of the 2026-27 season, a 1-1 draw with Southend United, and the confirmation that Jarrod Bowen is staying at the club. They discuss what our expectations are for Bowen this season, Keiber Lamadrid's surprise standout performance at Roots Hall, George Earthy's potential future and much more.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:34) Our thoughts on the World Cup final & Spain's tournament
(07:05) Can anyone stop Spain?
(10:56) Jarrod Bowen announces he's staying at West Ham
(14:20) Does this confirm Bowen's legend status?
(15:30) What are our expectations for Bowen in the Championship?
(21:41) Southend 1-1 West Ham review
(23:42) How much can you read into preseason friendlies?
(24:55) Takeaways: Keiber Lamadrid, Taty Castellanos & Pablo
(28:01) Our thoughts on George Earthy's performance & future

Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

Theme music: "Emotional Chill Electronic Vlog Music | Sunset" by Alex-Productions
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Promoted by: https://www.free-stock-music.com
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41 min
July 09 #125 How To Escape The Championship (& Avoid Doing A Leicester)
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Cal & Darcy break down the lessons West Ham can learn from analysing last season's relegated sides, Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton, and how they attempted to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking. They discuss how West Ham compares to the state each club was in before last season, how the transfer business they did succeeded and failed, how they performed on the pitch against more tenured Championship sides and much more.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(04:38) What lessons West Ham can take from Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton
(06:41) What state were the relegated sides in before the season started?
(12:12) Are West Ham in a better or worse starting position comparatively?
(17:31) What went wrong with Leicester's transfers last summer?
(23:18) How West Ham can avoid the same fate as Leicester
(27:33) Southampton's sensible and balanced rebuild worked
(32:20) Retention and consistency is key to transition successfully
(37:39) The importance of experience in squad building
(38:29) Avoid selling players unnecessarily
(41:41) How Leicester, Ipswich and Southampton performed last season
(42:44) How Analytics United calculates squad strength
(43:51) Where Leicester's squad fell short compared to Southampton & Ipswich
(47:29) West Ham need to create more chances this season
(51:21) Nuno will have to balance attack and defence
(56:01) West Ham should keep Mads Hermansen

Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

Theme music: "Emotional Chill Electronic Vlog Music | Sunset" by Alex-Productions
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Promoted by: https://www.free-stock-music.com
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1 hr 2 min
June 30 #124 How To Run A Football Club
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Cal and Darcy break down how to run a football club in 2026, discussing what choices they'd make if Daniel Křetínský put them in charge of West Ham, talking improvements to the training ground, recruiting a director of football, whether to implement multi-club ownership model including Sparta Prague and more.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:42) YouTube Memberships are now available!
(05:37) Our thoughts on changing West Ham's crest
(12:11) Do West Ham need to improve their training ground?
(21:36) How a new West Ham shirt sponsor could shape the culture of the club
(33:19) Multi-club ownership: How it's changing football and do West Ham need to form more partnerships?
(46:20) Nils Koppen: How hiring a director of recruitment could impact West Ham's transfer strategy

Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

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1 hr 4 min
June 23 #123 Analysing The Transfer Factory
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Cal, Jack and Darcy break down some of the previous West Ham transfer recommendations made in our Transfer Factory series, analysing those that went on to join Premier League clubs, some of the more niche options and ask whether any of them are still on the table for West Ham this summer.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(04:09) Analysing our previous Transfer Factory recommendations
(05:55) Adrien Truffert
(07:24) Maxim De Cuyper
(08:45) Anton Stach
(10:24) Hugo Ekitike
(11:26) Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall
(16:13) Charlie Hughes
(19:18) Charlie Cresswell
(21:05) Arne Engels
(22:35) Imrân Louza & Hayden Hackney
(27:29) Joaquin Seys
(30:25) Ngal'ayel Mukau
(34:22) Evann Guessand
(40:16) Taras Mykhavko
(43:24) Biggest lesson learned about judging plyers suitability for English football
(47:24) 2 player profiles get drawn too (and 2 we avoid)
(54:48) If you were advising one Premier League club this summer, who would it be and which player would you sign?

Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

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1 hr 7 min
June 16 #122 The Summer Recruitment Blueprint
Support the show and get more from Analytics United: https://www.patreon.com/AnalyticsUnited

Cal and Darcy break down West Ham's massive upcoming summer transfer window, discussing a potential new Director of Football in Newcastle's Steve Nickson, how much Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville should cost, what roles West Ham need to sign in order to push for the Championship title this season & more.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Thoughts on the World Cup so far
(06:34) Best and worst things about the World Cup
(09:54) Our reaction to Daniel Křetínský increasing his stake in West Ham
(11:27) How much should Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville cost?
(16:08) Steve Nickson: West Ham’s next Director of Football?
(22:46) Breaking down the player roles West Ham need to sign this summer
(25:27) The different types of centre-backs
(28:56) Should West Ham sign CBs to dominate the Championship physically or technically?
(33:52) The different types of midfielders
(37:29) Midfield recruitment: How to deal with potentially losing Fernandes and Tomáš Souček
(42:49) Do West Ham need to a sign a natural 10?
(45:13) How many wingers do West Ham need to sign this summer?

Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

You can follow the pod (and our other work) on Twitter:
Main: @AnalyticsUtd_
Jack: @jackelderton
Cal: @WHU_Analytic
Darcy: @futpysche
Charlie: @ATopLad

Theme music: "Emotional Chill Electronic Vlog Music | Sunset" by Alex-Productions
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Promoted by: https://www.free-stock-music.com
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52 min

About The West Ham Breakdown

From the publisher's feed

A weekly podcast exploring the tactics and data behind every West Ham match. Featuring Jack Elderton and Callum Goodall. Brought to you by Analytics United.