Stuart Pearce’s return to the club demonstrates very clearly that the Hammers squad will be working under a serious “no messing” manager and backroom team from here on in.
And it could hardly be more different to the ‘pretty pretty fills and all’ approach of Senor Pellegrini and his pal Husillos.
The fact that many of us approved of that appointment in the biggest possible way shows how this game can make mugs of us all.
But with Moyes – a dour Sgt Major type manager, aided and abetted by the likes of Psycho and Nolan no prisoners are about to be taken with a Hammers squad which graduated to a more physical approach on the resumption of the season after the tippy tappy stuff we saw under Pellegrini.
Pearce is obviously around to put some real steel into the back line and make sure they are properly organised but I think he’s gonna need a couple of new full backs regardless.
Nolan is a West Ham man to his backbone and his role may have been underplayed in the amazing survival we managed at the end of the season.
Alan Irvine has spent most of his coaching career alongside Moyes and knows his modus operandi precisely whilst the big hitting coaches have nothing but good to say about Paul Nevin.
The Hammers have changed direction far too many times over recent seasons and has come to look like a club with no real footballing identity.
That will change from now and whether we like the Moyes approach or not is immaterial – we know what we are getting – a hard edged, athletic and energetic team which like the coaching staff will be expected to take no prisoners.
The hard men are in charge and big changes are on the cards!
Biggest concern for me is this all feels very ‘old skool’.
The game has changed and modern football to move towards the right end of the league needs more than just guts and thunder.
Do these old skool practitioners have the subtlety and intelligence to marry their ‘hard man and hard attitude’ party line with the tactics, subtleties and intricacies of the modern high energy pressing game, which requires detailed coaching and focus at the individual level, with positioning and movement about more than the back four holding a line and stepping up on a signal.
I guess time will tell!
Ridiculous statement about Pellegrini as usual the board were always cost cutting under him and never gave him full backing. The cons have gone the cheap way because they have system in place or know how to run a football club. They’ve killed us for mediocrity.
You are making out as this is something new. We had this before the change to Pellegrini which didn’t work going back to this this isn’t going to work you simply cannot make rubbish players play Better by being hard or soft rubbish is just rubbish.
I will own up to believing Pelle was a good appoin tment – wrong! Now hoping that we are a couple of full backs and a striker away from a good team. Like most fans, I’ve hated watching fearful of every counter attack. Would also like to see Haller work harder in transition – seeing him strolling slowly back – enough.
COYI
I like a lot of other friends would have taken Moyes after he avoided relegation, after taking over from Slav. However I was happy to see Pellegrini take over not least because the board were willing to put forward the funds to allow an attempt to make the next level. Pellegrini proved to be the wrong man but I’m hoping Moyes and co can salvage something from that board investment. Also I was very happy with the way we played matches at the season restart, the football was much better than under Allardyce.
All sounds good. It’s been painful to watch the other stuff. Bowen and Soucek have bags of skill and flair and still work their socks off for the team, and Rice has always been a gem. Ogbonna the same these days. The Anderson-Wilshire-Sanchez era will hopefully soon be over.
Well said Hugh, I have been watching with great enthusiasm Moyes’s assembling of his team, which will be just as important as any transfers that we may make this coming transfer window.
Too often in the past, the West Ham way has not delivered… Not in the footballing style sense, but in the endeavour, organisation and teamwork ethic. Seeing how we ended this season, I feel that IF we are able to get a few players in, in our weaker positions and possibly attacking positions, whether they are even loan signings, we may just surprise a few people as well as our own supporters.
Considering how I felt about our chances just after lockdown, I can now see signs progression, growth and identity which Pellegrini had sucked out of this club.
Good to hear especially at the back where it’s needed! We can still play attractive football which we certainly did after restart (apart from wolves and spurs). Seem to be heading in right direction with 2 or 3 decent signings but it takes time COYI
Good article, sir. Well put. Totally true.
And we, as West Ham supporters live the idea of Hammer soldiers giving their lives for the club.
Coyi. God bless West Ham.
At first sight, this is exactly what the team needs. There has been two much pussy footing & indulgence to certain players in the squad. It is time for them all to get stuck in & learn to be disciplined . Especially Felipe Anderson !
I was disappointed when they let Pearce go. The guy is a motivator and a leader whose been there and done it. I remember him berating his own fans to get behind Forest when we were out singing them in the FA Cup semi final. I thought if you could bottle that passion. Probably make Anderson cry.
Good article and save a few moronic comments, I see the true fans identify with your words. I was also happy with Pellegrini until it all became clear his techniques and methods were failing big time. DM is proven in terms of his Everton days and I personally feel he can take us forward. He needs time but he will develop something good. The fans need to get behind him and start being realistic. If we can push for top 7 in the league then that will lead to bigger and better things. Leave the sissy player pandering to other clubs…COYI
👏👏👏
COYI
Exactly. Realistic ambition.
Maybe take all the mirrors out of the dressing room? Anderson and the other floaters, who think they are playing Serie A, might pay attention to what is being said.
Well said Jersey Hammer. There is no point looking pretty, playing from the ‘modern’ manual as it takes us to Division 2.
Stuart Pearce joining with Kevin Nolan is absolutely brilliant news. We could not do much better. These guys will get the best from the players we have at the moment and anyone arriving in future. We may not walk away with PL, EUFA CL, FA Cup et al, but we will be successful (top 15 in PL) and become established with performances to cheer.
Really looking forward to the new season now. Antonio, Bowen, Rice, Soucek, Fabianski, Noble, Haller and the rest of the boys. Bring it on.
COYI