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The West Ham Breakdown

The West Ham Breakdown

By: Jack Elderton
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 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.The West Ham Breakdown Football (American)
Episodes
  • #105 The Survival Signal

    #105 The Survival Signal
    Jan 27 2026
    This week on The West Ham Breakdown, Jack and Darcy dive into a vital Premier League victory that has the London Stadium dreaming of safety. Following back-to-back wins for West Ham, we ask the big question: is the great escape officially on and who can we actually catch in the table? Jack and Darcy provide a tactical breakdown of how the goals happened and debate whether this result was down to Hammers’ brilliance or Sunderland’s poor form. We deep dive into the stats, looking at our 74% dominance in ground duels and why our wingers—Crysencio Summerville and Jarrod Bowen—completely won the battle out wide compared to the previous fixture. We also explore the growing on-pitch relationships transforming our season, from the Ollie Scarles and Summerville combination to the clinical partnership between Pablo Felipe and Taty Castellanos. Finally, we look at game management—how did we handle the lead from the bench and what does the squad need in the final week of the transfer window to stay in control? Timestamps: (00:00) West Ham 3-1 Sunderland: Match Review (05:43) The Great Escape: Is it actually on? (13:25) Breaking down West Ham’s goals from Summerville and Fernandes (18:04) Sunderland’s Consolation Goal: Where the defence failed and Todibo's positioning (20:56) Were West Ham great or were Sunderland just poor? (28:43) The tactical relationships being built out wide (30:48) The evolution of Ollie Scarles (35:34) The New Front Two: Evaluating the Pablo and Taty Castellanos partnership (42:46) Managing Game States: Stability vs. Chaos when holding a lead (48:19) Analysing the second-half subs: How Callum Wilson affects the press? (51:49) Transfer Priorities: What West Ham needs this January (52:46) What's Freddie Potts' future now Guido Rodriguez has left? (54:43) The Paquetá Question: Is the team actually better without him? 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 (https://onsound.eu/) Promoted by: https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • #104 Dr. Tottenham's Miracle Cure

    #104 Dr. Tottenham's Miracle Cure
    Jan 20 2026
    West Ham finally won in the Premier League! This week on The West Ham Breakdown, Jack and Cal celebrate a massive away victory against Tottenham Hotspur. After a prolonged period of struggle, the Hammers turned a corner in North London scoring in the stoppage time to sink Spurs at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Jack and Cal take a look at the stark contrast between the two halves, discussing how West Ham didn't just compete but actually dominated the first 45 minutes. The tactical deep dive focuses on the return of the 4-4-2, exploring how Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe performed diligently out of possession to stifle Spurs. They also talk Summerville’s sensational showing and defensive work rate, Pablo's impact on second balls, how Soucek and Fernandes dominated Tottenham's midfielders and much more. Timestamps: (00:00) West Ham's Massive Win at Spurs: Initial Reactions (02:56) Just how bad were Spurs? (07:25) What exactly were Xavi Simons & Conor Gallagher doing? (14:00) Just how good were West Ham's midfield? (15:12) Pablo Felipe's Impact: Physicality & battling Cristian Romero (20:21) Tactical Masterclass: Why West Ham dominated the first half (23:52) 4-4-2 is Back: How we neutralised the Spurs 3-2-5 shape (26:36) Crysencio Summerville & Jarrod Bowen’s defensive shifts (33:47) The Second Half: How the Hammers dug in to secure 3 points (43:39) Konstantinos Mavropanos: The Greek colossus (45:16) The importance of Tomáš Souček's performance (48:30) The impact Nuno's substitutions made 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 (https://onsound.eu/) Promoted by: https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr and 1 min
  • #103 The Paqueta Paradox

    #103 The Paqueta Paradox
    Jan 13 2026
    West Ham have finally get back to winning ways against QPR in the FA Cup, but the victory has been overshadowed by the €35 million transfer bid from Flamengo for Lucas Paquetá. This week on The West Ham Breakdown, Jack and Cal navigate the bittersweet aftermath of a cup win and the impossible choice facing the West Ham board: do you cash in on an talisman who wants a move back to Brazil, or is sanctioning his departure now tantamount to accepting relegation from the Premier League. They also break down the QPR match, analysing the shift to a 4-4-2 and how a front line featuring Taty Castellanos and Pablo Felipe changed the dynamic and discussing what lessons Nuno Espírito Santo could bring into games against Premier League opposition. Plus, a deep dive into the underlying data of our midfield and defence—comparing West Ham’s central hubs to our direct relegation rivals to just how our squad stacks up against our opposition. We wrap up by looking at the January transfer window and whether the club should be recruiting for a survival fight or for life in the Championship. Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (03:00) Lucas Paquetá: The Flamengo bid and the player’s motivatio (12:31) Does selling Paquetá mean West Ham are accepting relegation? (22:47) West Ham 2-1 QPR Match Review (28:03) Switching to a 4-4-2: Pros and Cons (31:38) Midfield struggles: Finding the right combination (34:54) Winning Gamestate: West Ham's chronic lack of control when ahead (37:57) Data Dive: How do West Ham compare to the other relegation candidates? (45:50) West Ham's midfield vs other bottom six midfielders 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 (https://onsound.eu/) Promoted by: https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    1 hr
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