The West Ham Breakdown

By Jack EldertonSports News Sports News Soccer

The West Ham Breakdown episodes

June 09 #121 The GSB Era: A Review
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Cal and Darcy break down David Sullivan, David Gold and Karen Brady's time in charge of West Ham United, discussing the recruitment strategies, massive managerial and stylistic swings and controversial stadium move which dominated their tenure as custodians of the club.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:15) What is West Ham United in 2026?
(05:25) Analysing West Ham's recruitment from the GSB era
(09:30) An agent-led approach to transfers: The pros and cons
(15:43) Can manager-led recruitment still work in 2026?
(21:37) Why the Director of Football role has never worked out at West Ham
(31:58) The lack of coherence with managerial and stylistic changes
(40:39) How the London Stadium has impacted West Ham
(52:24) Lessons to be learned from the GSB era

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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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1 hr 2 min
June 02 #120 The Rebuild Begins
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A week after relegation was confirmed, Cal and Darcy break down West Ham’s rebuild process, whether keeping Nuno Espírito Santo as manager was the correct decision, if the Championship is more difficult now than it used to be, the kind of players West Ham need to sign this summer in order to get promoted back to the Premier League at the first time of asking and much more.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:07) A brief review of the Champions League final
(07:19) Is keeping Nuno the right decision?
(13:27) Will West Ham’s style of football change in the Championship?
(21:12) The biggest difference between the Championship now compared to previous years
(24:48) Player profiles West Ham need in order to get promoted
(30:19) How Paco Jémez staying could help West Ham
(36:28) Our reaction to Max Hahn resigning as head of technical recruitment
(45:09) Is Kieran Scott the right man to become the new Technical Director?
Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/analyticsunited
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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56 min
May 26 #119 West Ham Relegated: What Next?
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Jack and Cal break down West Ham’s relegation from the Premier League and what it means for the future of the club. They discuss the events of the final day of the season, the long-running issues with recruitment both on and off the field, if we were destined for relegation from the start of the season and what it means for the future of West Ham.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Our reaction to West Ham’s relegation
(03:36) What relegation could mean for West Ham?
(08:53) West Ham 3-0 Leeds review
(22:03) Were West Ham doomed to relegation from the start?
(30:38) Reflecting on this season’s transfer business
(36:39) Were the players good enough?
(41:29) What kind of manager does West Ham need?
(47:35) Keep or Sell? Who do we need next season?

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

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/analyticsunited
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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57 min
May 19 #118 It’s A Sabotage!
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Jack and Cal break down Newcastle 3-1 West Ham, a loss which might just have sealed the Hammers’ relegation fate. They discuss the changed line up and why it was doomed to fail, debate if starting Callum Wilson was a mistake, analyse Nuno's tenure as Hammers' Head Coach and much more.

Timestamps:
(00:00) Our reaction to the Newcastle loss
(01:40) The starting 11
(08:33) Newcastle’s goals were inexcusable
(19:00) How Nuno’s substitutions changed the game (twice)
(25:31) Was starting Callum Wilson a mistake?
(30:56) How has Nuno performed as West Ham manager
(35:56) Has Nuno’s experimenting caused more harm than good?
Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/analyticsunited
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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55 min
May 12 #117 The Decision That Could Relegate West Ham
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Jack and Cal break down West Ham 0-1 Arsenal, discussing Callum Wilson's late disallowed equaliser which was controversially ruled out by VAR for a potential foul on David Raya by Pablo Felipe. They talk the lack of consistency in refereeing set-pieces, particularly regarding blocking and grappling from corners, and how these decisions are impacting both the relegation battle and title race. They also praise the Hammers' resilient defending, break down the significant impact Ben White's injury had by forcing Declan Rice into a makeshift right-back role and debate if West Ham were good enough on the ball.
Timestamps:
(00:00) West Ham 0-1 Arsenal review
(01:13) Should West Ham’s goal have been disallowed goal?
(10:59) Are set-pieces impossible to defend now?
(17:30) VAR’s effect on football
(20:44) How Arsenal dominated the first 20 minutes
(27:56) Why West Ham improved when Declan Rice moved to right-back
(35:16) How Arsenal regained control at half time
(37:21) West Ham’s defence was magnificent
(43:25) Could West Ham have done better for Arsenal’s goal?
(46:29) Were West Ham bad on the ball?
Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/analyticsunited
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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57 min
May 05 #116 Can West Ham Still Survive?
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Jack and Darcy break down West Ham's 3-0 loss to Brentford, discussing the front two of Pablo and Taty, counterpressing, the risks that come with it and the challenges that come after going behind to a team like Brentford. They talk what changed between the first and second halves to effect the game so much, Soucek's movement and passing and where an awful weekend of results leaves West Ham in the fight for survival.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Our reaction to an awful weekend of Premier League results
(05:06) How the referee's performance affected the game
(18:18) Can West Ham still escape relegation?
(22:46) Why our pressing and counter-pressing worked initially
(25:15) Pablo and Castellanos: Have they been good enough?
(37:00) Tomáš Souček's importance to West Ham
(40:06) Pushing further forward to help Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville create
(44:48) What went wrong in the second half?
(49:53) Substitutions and their impact (or lack thereof)
(54:24) Why changing the shape didn't work
Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/analyticsunited
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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1 hr 4 min
April 28 #115 Wilson vs Pablo vs Taty: Who Should Start?
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Cal and Darcy break down the Hammers' crucial victory over Everton to stay one step ahead in the Premier League relegation battle. They discuss the psychological impact of matching Spurs' pace in the run-in, evaluate Pablo and Taty Castellanos' performances up front and talk the officiating after a controversial non-penalty for Mateus Fernandes and a reckless challenge from Jordan Pickford. They also talk through the tactical shift required after a shaky first fifteen minutes, how Mateus Fernandes finally started to unlock the game against Champions League-chasing Everton, and whether Callum Wilson should be considered for a starting spot in the upcoming massive clash against Brentford.
Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode.

Join us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/analyticsunited
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
April 22 #114 Unstoppable Mavropanos Meets Immovable Canvot
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Was 1 point enough? Jack Elderton and Darcy Cox break down West Ham's disappointing 0-0 with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park and what it means for the relegation run-in to come. They discuss how the Hammers adapted to deal with early central overloads to gain control in the first half, what exactly went wrong in the second half to produce such a lifeless performance and praise the box-defending excellence of Mavropanos and Disasi once again. They talk the second half substitution of Callum Wilson, what his introduction meant for those around him and how the relegation run-in currently shaping up after an eventful weekend in the Premier League.

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
April 14 #113 Strikers, Steel and Survival
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West Ham just defeated Wolves 4-0 under the lights at the London Stadium, and suddenly, the mission that once felt impossible is now very much on. Jack Elderton and Cal Goodall are back to break down a massive Friday night win that has finally lifted the Hammers out of the relegation zone while forcing Spurs into deeper waters.
The episode explores how Nuno’s side weathered a tricky opening 30 minutes where Wolves' aggressive press and before half-time tactical adaptations neutralised Wolves' central overload and sparked the counter-attacks that led to a dominant display. They also discuss the return of West Ham’s aerial threat, with Konstantinos Mavropanos causing chaos in the box from set-pieces.
Jack and Cal also talk the new striking partnership of Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe, their tireless defensive recovery runs and high-energy pressing allowing creative players like Jarrod Bowen more freedom to exploit 1v1 situations.
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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55 min
April 08 #112 Dial-Up Decision Making
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Jack and Cal break down West Ham's FA Cup Quarter Final loss to Leeds United at the London Stadium, discussing a valiant comeback that saw the Hammers recover from 2-0 down in stoppage time taking the Yorkshire side to penalties before ultimately missing out on a trip to Wembley.
They dive into a difficult first half where individual errors and poor performances from the young midfield pairing Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa allowed Leeds to take control. They analyse the tactical struggle of Nuno's decision to push Mateus Fernandes into a more advanced role and why he's more effective in a deeper distributor role.
They talk how half-time tactical shifts sparked a second-half revival, touch on the emotional debut of Finlay Herrick, the impact of senior players like Tomáš Souček and Pablo had on the game and the silver lining of a cleared schedule as the squad prepares for a Premier League relegation dogfight.

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 3 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.