David Moyes will know this weekend whether he is on course to complete the second part of his Hammers challenge.
Had we predicted eight points from the opening eight games when we first saw the fixtures for the season there would have been those calling for a strait jacket on behalf of those so optimistic.
But here we are at the start of November looking at three fixtures which will allow Moyes management to define his success of otherwise in putting the team firmly on the right road.
For he has made it crystal clear that his number one aim is to take this club from its inconsistent past into a stable future. He’s sees that as his biggest long term challenge.
Fulham on Saturday evening (8pm) followed by games against Sheffield United and Aston Villa may seem a soft trio of matches but in his own terms the manager is going to find out precisely where is with the squad.
For as we all know so well these are games that the Hammers of the past have found very ‘lose…able.’
They couldn’t have been more up for the run of seriously difficult games – can the manager inspire them to maintain the same attitude and approach from here on until the end of November and beyond..
It’s a big and very important period in the development of a squad that has excited us all the first games.
By the time we have played Villa a quarter of the season will have passed and judgements of where we are will probably be more credible.
The biggest challenge that David Moyes faces is, and will continue to be David Sullivan. He, and the rest of the board, are predominately the reason for the lack of stability and the subsequent chaotic operation which results.
Whilst David Moyes – quite rightly – wishes to follow the path of a professional and stable operation, without the cooperation and backing of a like minded board, I doubt he will make much headway in his quest.