Nuno Espirito Santo answers St James’ Park 'boo boys' claim before Newcastle United battle
Newcastle United can strike another nail in West Ham’s relegation coffin at St James’ Park.
Nuno Espirito Santo has downplayed Newcastle United’s home form but believes West Ham United can win this weekend.
The Magpies have lost five of their last seven Premier League fixtures at St James’ Park. Defeats to Aston Villa, Brentford, Sunderland, Everton and Bournemouth were all met with boos at the full-time whistle.
Tyneside is no longer a fortress, with Newcastle aiming to give supporters a consolation victory to cheer in their final home fixture of the campaign. As for West Ham, they are fighting for top-flight survival and cannot afford to return to East London empty-handed.
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‘Focus is Newcastle’ - Nuno Espirito Santo
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, West Ham boss Nuno emphasised how it is do-or-die time for his team. He said: “We’ve known for a while now that everything is going to be decided now. These two games are going to decide everything in the Premier League.
“What we have to make sure of is that we compete well against Newcastle and we still have a chance (of staying up). But first and foremost, it’s about Newcastle. The focus is there. It’s a tough opponent. (The focus is) how we can perform well at St James’ Park.
“It’s going to be a new game (compared to 3-1 win in November). Like I said, Newcastle are a very good team. They’re always going to be tough. But we are ready, positive and believe (we can win).”
St James’ Park boo boys
When asked if the Hammers can capitalise on a tense St James’ Park crowd, he added: “If we are able to perform well, that (home crowd booing) can happen. But we cannot do anything unless we perform well. It’s about us and our task.
“Every game is a new game. What I believe is that we keep our approach. The value of points are the same in the first round to the last round. These two rounds are going to be the decider.”
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