Fans fury as West Ham on brink of drop - how have they got here?

Crestfallen goalscorer Valentin Castellanos buried his face in his shirt, but West Ham players had nowhere to hide as a furious away end turned at St James' Park.

"You're not fit to wear the shirt," West Ham supporters hissed at their side following the visitors' 3-1 defeat against Newcastle United.

Those on the field unsurprisingly kept their distance.

Some in claret and blue meekly applauded. Others stared ahead with their hands firmly on their hips. Many bowed their heads before heading down the tunnel.

Relegation may not have been confirmed with this dismal loss, but West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo recognised the Hammers "owed the fans respect and dignity".

"This is our job, this is our life, but the fans are right and today they show their anger and frustration and they have reasons to," he said.

"It hurts, it hurts the boys, it hurts us, it hurts the club."

Two points from safety, having played a game more than Tottenham Hotspur, 18th-placed West Ham now need Chelsea to defeat their relegation rivals at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night to take the race to survive to the wire.

A draw is almost certain to be enough for Spurs, due to their vastly superior goal difference.

Even if defeat happens, West Ham would then need to beat resurgent Leeds United on the final day and hope for an Everton win at Spurs.

"We are holding on by a small thread but we are still holding on," West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen told BBC Sport.

"We have to see how the result goes on Tuesday. There's a chance that we are relegated then and we can't hide from it. The only thing we can do is wait and see what happens.

"I will watch it. We never want to be relying on teams but we have put ourselves in this position. We have created this mess and I think we have to be big enough to watch it and accept what happens."

How did it come to this?

It is less than three years since West Ham lifted a European trophy in Prague, beating Fiorentina 2-1 in the Europa Conference League final.

Only two years ago, they were taking on German champions Bayer Leverkusen in a Europa League quarter-final.

But next season, their supporters could be trading the glamour of European nights and Premier League away days for trips to Lincoln City's 10,669-seater LNER Community Stadium and the equally modest Racecourse Ground to face Wrexham.

The defining moment of West Ham's season might be Callum Wilson's stoppage-time equaliser against Arsenal that never was.

But their slide towards the Championship began long before that and could be traced back to the departure of David Moyes in 2024 as the club opted for a more expansive style of football.

Across two spells, Moyes won 112 of his 261 matches, delivering three top-10 finishes. He also ended the club's long wait for silverware in Europe.

Since his exit, the Hammers have struggled for stability and direction.

Julen Lopetegui lasted only six months while his successor Graham Potter was out after eight.

Nuno arrived in September looking to reboot a side that took only three points from their opening five games under Potter.

The Portuguese began with a draw at Everton, but three consecutive losses to Arsenal, Brentford and Leeds soon after laid bare the scale of the task at hand.

Back-to-back wins in November suggested a turning point, but it was followed by a 10-game winless run from November into January.

A spell of three wins in four matches against fellow strugglers Tottenham, Sunderland and Burnley at the turn of the year offered hope again, but just three victories in 12 games since have left them on the brink.

Nuno arrived with a point to prove - after a deterioration in his relationship with Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis led to his sacking after 21 months in charge.

He became West Ham's fourth permanent manager in six years and, despite overseeing a relegation, still boasts an impressive CV, having also managed Rio Ave, Valencia, Porto, Wolves, Spurs and Al-Ittihad.

The 52-year-old famously led Wolves out of the Championship in his first season in charge in 2017-18, and then took them into Europe, which might be appealing to West Ham's hierarchy.

But having appointed him on a three-year contract last September and seen him preside over the 10-match run without a win that ultimately left the Hammers with too much ground to make up, it could also be argued Nuno shoulders a significant portion of blame for what has happened and he should go as well.

West Ham were already planning to sell players this summer after posting a £104.2m loss for the last financial year.

The impending relegation would only place more pressure on the club's finances.

The Hammers, however,are giving little away when it comes to future planning.

For now, they remain hopeful of succeeding in their survival fight, even if it looks from the outside as though it is an impossible task.

Much will depend on the thoughts of chairman David Sullivan and the other significant shareholder Daniel Kretinsky, the Czech businessman who now also owns the Royal Mail.

There are some players whose departures would seem obvious.

Midfielder Mateus Fernandes has been looked at by a number of clubs, including Manchester United, and the Portugal star is a saleable asset.

Winger Crysencio Summerville has found his form over the past couple of months and also might attract attention.

Axel Disasi will presumably return to Chelsea when his loan expires on 30 June despite his good performances in defence. Adama Traorejoined from Fulham on a permanent deal in January but to the end of the season, with an option for an additional year, which is yet to be triggered.

The big decision will surround skipper Jarrod Bowen.

Along with Tomas Soucek and Alphonse Areola, the man whose last-minute goal famously won the Conference League final, is one of only three starters from that night still at the club.

Bowen, 29, is a crowd favourite and his father-in-law is actor and celebrity West Ham fan Danny Dyer.

If he could be persuaded to lead West Ham's attempt to return to the Premier League at the first attempt, it would represent a major coup.

However, the club - and Bowen - know there would be a queue of clubs keen to sign him for a decent fee, which would cover some of the club's financial hit.

"But whether West Ham can extract full market value for them, given age and potential clauses in contracts, remains to be seen," football finance expert Kieran Maguire said.

"Some players will have relegation clauses, which usually are no more than 25%, so the total wage bill will decrease significantly."

Maguire expects relegation to cost West Ham a revenue loss of around £100m.

"Last season West Ham generated £228m, of which £133m was from broadcasting but that could fall to about £48m even with parachute payments and they will find it difficult to charge premium prices to sponsors and matchday fans."

A wage bill which dwarfs most Championship clubs is also a concern.

"Championship wages averaged £37m in 2025. West Ham's was well over four times that figure and averaged £75,000 per week [per player]," Maguire added.

"There could be job losses at the club as they are unlikely to need a large marketing, communications and back-office staff given the relative lack of interest from international markets in the Championship."

Their 62,500-seater ground, while an asset in the Premier League, could be a burden in the Championship.

"The cost of renting the stadium, which was about £4m in 2024-25, may fall if there is a relegation clause. But it is a large venue, so maintenance and general overheads will be substantial.

"And unless there is a very good start to the next season, there is a danger of empty seats too."

With London Stadium already the backdrop for fan protests against the running of the club under Sullivan and now former vice-chair Baroness Karren Brady, the decisions in the coming weeks and months will be crucial to the club's future.