West Ham 0-2 Brentford: Nuno Espirito Santo learns the size of the task at hand the hard way as dire Hammers lose again

Nuno Espirito Santo, if he didn't already, must now know how much of a broken club he has walked into at West Ham.

Three games without a win since replacing Graham Potter to become the club's fourth manager in 16 months, beaten in his first home outing played in front of a ton of empty seats as part of a furious fan boycott and booed off by the handful of supporters who had bothered to stay until the end.

Igor Thiago's first-half effort and substitute Mathias Jenson's late second handed Keith Andrews his first away points of the season and leaves West Ham still without any at home. 

Perhaps the only consolation for Nuno is the club he left behind appears to be in just as big a mess as his current one. 

White seats littered the stands at the London Stadium. As expected, thousands of fans boycotted the game in the latest of a series of protests against the club's ownership.

West Ham's last match here against Crystal Palace, one that would prove to be Graham Potter's last, saw similar numbers gather outside the directors' entrance to demand the resignation of owner David Sullivan and co-chair Karen Brady. Another march is planned for the home game against Burnley next month.

The boycott was noticeable but not the kind of mass exodus likely to strike fear into the hearts of Sullivan and Co. And not enough to overshadow Nuno's first home game in charge. West Ham's football was often enough to do that.

For all the signs that Nuno's football will bring a bit more blood and thunder to West Ham than the pitter-patter under Potter, with Crysencio Summerville and Matheus Fernandes making early driving runs through the heart of the Brentford defence, he has still inherited a group of players seemingly incapable, or unwilling, to head clear simple balls into the box.

Every Brentford free-kick, corner or cross seemed to end with a free header. Nathan Collins headed over from a Jordan Henderson free-kick. Dango Ouattara hit the bar from close range, one of four headers he had in the first half alone. Mikkel Damsgaard saw one tipped wide by Alphonse Areola. Kevin Schade hit the bar with another just after the hour.

The only surprise when Brentford took the lead was that it didn't come from a set-piece but instead a ball over the top from Yehor Yarmolyuk that found Schade then Thiago and the net. There was no surprise it was the Brazilian who finished it off for his sixth goal of the season.

Thiago ran towards manager Keith Andrews and jumped into his arms. Nuno stood with his arms folded, shaking his head.

The unplayable Brentford front man thought he'd bagged a second in first-half stoppage time only for VAR to rule it out for the tightest offside. A let off that West Ham scarcely deserved.

By the end of the first half, Brentford had attempted 15 shots to West Ham's three, and they all came from outside the box. Jarrod Bowen, as always, came closest forcing a fine low save from Caoimhin Kelleher. 

Nuno had seen enough and thrust three new defenders on at the break in Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Konstantinos Mavropanos and El Hadji Malick Diouf and switched to a back five often favoured by Potter. It didn't change much.

Summerville continued to run tirelessly but the best he could do was snatch a long-range effort into the empty seats. Bowen did the same and slammed the turf in frustration. 

By the the the clock has ticked past the hour, the usual apathy had long set in. The loudest applause of the night was for Scottish midfielder Andy Irving, who made his full home debut 780 days after signing for the club during which time he's become a bit of a cult hero.

That is about as much as Hammers fans can get enthused about these days, a side that's gone from a European trophy to the relegation zone in the space of two years.

For Brentford it seems there is much more. The end of the Thomas Frank era and the loss of key players like Yoane Wissa brought with it uncertainty and doom-mongering from those peering over the garden fence.

Yet under Andrews they have made a steady start, secured a famous win over Manchester United and another here that hauls them into midtable, and five points clear of the drop. Thiago, who missed much of large chunk of last season through injury, has stepped into Wissa's boots with ease. He forced another save from Areola late on, before Mathias Jensen fired high to finally deliver Brentford's deserved second.

Amazing what a club can achieve when it's run properly.