Nuno Espirito Santo was in positive mood as he looked ahead to West Ham's final away game of the Premier League season at Newcastle this weekend.
The Head Coach faced questions on squad availability, the fallout from last weekend's controversial defeat to Arsenal, the future of VAR and his hopes for this weekend's trip to the North East - amongst many more, the answers to which you may read below.Q: I'll start by asking about team news. How are the team doing? Any injuries to be aware of?
NES: Yeah, we have Adama who is out for this game but the rest of the squad is good.
Q: Can you tell us anything about what kind of injury that is?
NES: Yeah, it's a muscular thing. He was not available for the match against Arsenal, he's recovering, but he's going to be short for this one.
Q: I'll start by asking about last weekend in the aftermath of the Arsenal defeat. I know that the club filed a complaint to the PGMO. I just wanted to follow up on that and see whether you had any further communication on that?
NES: Private. I think this issue. We made a complaint. I think it was normal that we did it, try to find some answers to some questions that creates a lot of doubts. Okay, let's move forward. What I tell you about, and we're going to speak about referees VAR, is consistency. It's needed to help the game, to help the Premier League, to help foremost the players. They have to realise, they have to understand, so there are no doubts, no frustrations.
Q: And actually I suppose in that same vein, it's a decision that's really divided the whole of the football world with everyone having kind of different opinions on it. Has your view on it changed at all over the week?
NES: No, the problem is that we compare and all these things that we've been through to the week is comparing similar situations with different decisions. This is where it is a frustration. That's why I insist on the term consistency is needed.
Q: Can I ask firstly, have you watched Tottenham's game earlier this week?
NES: I watched all the games, like I said to you before.
Q: Watching that game and seeing the result, do you feel that it almost gives you the psychological impetus back again because you have the opportunity to go above them with a win over Newcastle this weekend? And how much confidence does that give you?
NES: Look, we know and we knew some while ago that everything is going to be decided now. These two games are going to decide everything in the Premier League so what we have to make sure that we compete well against Newcastle and we still have a chance. But first and foremost, it's about Newcastle. The focus is there. Tough opponent, how can we perform well and achieve a result at St. James's Park.
Q: You mentioned you watched the Spurs game. There were a couple of controversial decisions.
NES: But I'm not going to mention all the controversial decisions - please understand!
Q: Do you think that's again just asking to you what it is?
NES: It's not up to me, you know what I mean? Our job at West Ham is to be focused, prepare our players and try to make them better for Sunday and the next one. It's our priority.
Q: Newcastle are a team that you beat earlier in the season, came from behind actually to beat them 3-1. That must give you hope going into this game that you can take this to the final day.
NES: Yeah, it's going to be a new game. Like I said, Newcastle is a very good team. It's always going to be tough. But we are ready. Positive in belief, more than anything belief, belief.
Q: Newcastle's home record isn't particularly great. Do you think that's something you can exploit, the fact that there are occasions where the fans are maybe even booing the team, booing the manager? Do you think that's something that you can exploit?
NES: If we are able to perform well that can happen, but we cannot do anything else unless we perform well. And it's about us. It's about our tasks. But like you said, every game is a new game. Everything is going to be new, new questions raised to our players that we have to provide answers to.
Q: Callum Wilson, we're going up against his former club. He came on the other day, almost got your appointment, disallowed goal. He scored some late goals this season. Is there a case, a couple of games left, he's second top goal scorer to maybe give him more game time, maybe start?
NES: We kind of want to decide the team tomorrow. When they prepare well. Like I said, the only player that is not available is Adama. The rest are all options.
Q: Managers and players always talk about each game as it comes. The next game is the most important one, as it is. Coming down to these two games, is it possible to keep saying that each game as it comes, it's just another game, or is there something different about this? Is there something different about the way you might approach it?
NES: No, every game is a new game, and what I believe is that you keep your approach. So if the value of the points are the same in the first round of the competition to the last round. So if you keep the same approach, this is what is more important, realising that everything is going to be decided. Everything is going to be decided not only for us, but all over the Premier League. These two rounds are going to be deciders.
Q: And so the way that you have to give your pretty much team talk, will it be like a rousing speech for them?
NES: So if I give a rousing speech in the first round of the Premier League, I'll keep the rousing speech in the last game of the Premier League! So it's the same approach. This is what I think it's better for us.
Q: I know you don't want to be drawn on the VAR thing, but just one suggestion that came from a former assistant referee, Darren Cann, that would maybe clear up perhaps some of the issues we've seen, particularly at corners, would be to stop, say that attacking players can't go into the six-yard box until the ball has been kicked, so maybe stop all the grappling and bundling over the goalkeeper and stuff like that. Would you welcome a rule change and that sort of thing to clear up?
NES: Look, I didn't have time to think about the changes that can solve and find the solutions. It's not my clear focus on that! But more than anything, I think it's up to the PGMO to solve it. The referees must understand the need of solving this doubt that is among us. You know, the fans don't know, the players don't know, we don't know. Then comes the during the week, the questions like these solutions. I don't see it, don't see it clearly but I believe that the Premier League and the referees are going to solve it.
Q: One last one, I promise you on that subject. Earlier you said all you want is consistency with referees. I've been doing my job a long time, 30 odd years. I've seen managers that aren't consistent, players throughout even a game who aren't consistent. How easy is it to ask referees who I mean, just become professional in the last few years to be consistent when it's difficult for anybody in this sport to be consistent?
NES: The job of the referees is really hard and it is difficult. But if you, like you said, you've been around the game for 30 years now? So recently it was introduced to the VAR. VAR was supposed to help the referees. Is it helping? Is it creating more questions? So I leave it to you, you understand what I'm saying? I believe that they can do better because a VAR referee has time and the mission of the referee of the VAR is to get implicated when there are no doubts. In this case, it took five minutes, so there was doubts. So there was not obvious. One other question...
Q: This weekend brings new territory for you as a manager this season, new territory for the players, must win, have to win. Now the result really, I mean a draw would take you level with Spurs, but really you have to win. Does that change the approach and the mindset of the players when they sit on the pitch, knowing that over the 90 minutes this is a game we have to win?
NES: But we've been saying this from the beginning. Every game is a must-win game. So nothing has changed. The importance of the points are the same. The situation is decisive, yes. Will that change the approach of the players? I hope not. I hope they stay focused, doing their tasks, try to ignore what's coming around, try to ignore the ifs and the anxiety of different scenarios, focus on what you have and that is action after action. I believe that this is the best approach for the players and for our team.
Q: Because of those different scenarios, how much this week are you a football manager and how much this week are you almost a part-time psychologist trying to not make your players become so blinded by fear because of what might happen?
NES: But this is not this week only! It's through all the work. I think the job of the coaches is behind the tactical and the technical part is also the mental part. And more than anything it'a confidence.
What I try to give to our players is confidence and prepare them well.
Q: Also, you played at the highest level. Have you ever played in games of the magnitude of this week and maybe next week?
NES: Yes, of course, of course. I think we've been through experience and this is value for us, realising what happened in the past, how we deal with situations, what you can avoid. I will try to help our players as best as I can.
Q: You said a few weeks ago that sometimes people don't really give or underestimate how good a manager you are because you used to be a goalkeeper. You once said to me, people forget that goalkeepers can be really good managers. In terms of that, how this week with your players are you able to get over to them the fact that you've been in this game, you've achieved so much in this game, they need to listen and trust you?
NES: I think they trust our decisions, they trust our search for solutions, but we know it's up to them. We're going to prepare them, we're going to try to find all the details that we can about Newcastle and we trust them and we believe that they can play a good game.
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