West Ham United head coach Nuno Espirito Santo has issued a pointed warning to his players: the habit of conceding the opening goal and chasing games from behind must stop, and it must stop now.

"We have to fix it, urgently," Nuno said ahead of Wednesday's trip to face Lincoln City. "We have to start the games better. I don't want to keep repeating myself: 'slow start, better second half'. I want to come to you guys one day and say 'good first half, good second half'."

The message will ring familiar to supporters who have watched the Hammers give themselves unnecessary work in their opening weeks back in the Championship. West Ham have conceded the first goal in each of their last three matches across all competitions. In the league, they fought back to draw against QPR and Millwall, but the pattern of surrendering the initiative early is one that will cost them points against better-organised sides as the season progresses.

A position that flatters, for now

Despite those slow starts, West Ham currently sit third in the Championship table, four points behind leaders Swansea City. That gap, at this early stage, is not alarming, but it illustrates how much ground the club has left on the table by conceding and then recovering rather than dominating from the first whistle.

The Hammers were expected to be among the division's pace-setters this season, and in terms of raw quality the squad justifies that expectation. But expectations and performances have not yet fully aligned, and Nuno is plainly irritated that he is having to flag the same issue week after week. Press-release reassurances about "second-half performances" are not what a club with West Ham's resources should be leaning on at this level.

Team news ahead of the Lincoln trip

Nuno confirmed that Venezuela winger Keiber Lamadrid remains sidelined through injury, and that other members of the squad will have their fitness assessed before the midweek fixture. The head coach did, however, welcome back midfielder Mohamadou Kante, who was available again after serving a suspension that kept him out of the QPR match.

The Lincoln game is precisely the sort of fixture West Ham will be expected to win comfortably. Lincoln currently sit in 16th place, and the Hammers will carry clear-favourite status into Sincil Bank. But 16th-placed sides also tend to be well organised at home, and a slow start away from the London Stadium could be punished far more severely than it has been in recent weeks.

Getting used to the Championship grind

Nuno has pointed to the adjustment required as his squad gets to grips with a heavier fixture schedule at this level. Top-flight routines do not translate automatically to the Championship, where the tempo, the physicality and the sheer volume of midweek games demand a different kind of readiness from minute one.

That is not an excuse the manager appears prepared to lean on. The word he used was "urgently", and the tone was not one of patient process. West Ham came down with a wage bill and a squad that were built for a different division; the challenge now is to apply that quality with the consistent focus the second tier demands.

For supporters, the arithmetic is simple enough. Two draws from games in which West Ham were behind feels acceptable today. Come February, those dropped points could define whether the club is pushing for automatic promotion or sweating through the play-offs.

Frequently asked

Why are West Ham in the Championship?
West Ham were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the previous season and are now competing in the Championship, England's second tier.
What is West Ham's league position?
According to recent reports, West Ham sit third in the Championship table, four points behind leaders Swansea City.
Who is the West Ham manager?
Nuno Espirito Santo is the West Ham United head coach, having taken charge of the club for the Championship season.