David Moyes‘ legacy at West Ham remains a complex one. While his tenure brought European glory and a surge away from relegation battles, recent decisions are raising doubts about his suitability for the long haul. One of the most glaring issues is his persistent preference for a small squad.
Moyes small squad gamble backfires
Moyes’ commitment to a limited player pool has backfired spectacularly this season. West Ham’s European dreams are dashed, and their fight for another European campaign looks bleak after their abject display to Crystal Palace.
Despite spending a significant sum of well over £400 million, Moyes hasn’t been able to build a squad capable of competing across multiple competitions. West Ham‘s recent struggles suggest a flawed transfer strategy coupled with the limitations of a small squad.
While acknowledging the lack of squad depth might have contributed to recent results, Moyes surprisingly defends his small-squad philosophy. He argues for a smaller unit to minimise management issues.
However, fans are unconvinced. Moyes’ underutilisation of players like Cornet and his reluctance to integrate young talents raise questions about his ability to manage a larger group effectively.
The limitations of the small squad are undeniable. With a grueling schedule exceeding 50 games, fatigue and injuries inevitably take their toll on a limited player pool. This seems to be the biggest factor behind West Ham’s current slump and might even cost Moyes his job.
West Ham fans deserve better. Moyes’ unwavering commitment to a small squad, despite its evident drawbacks, is a major source of frustration. The club needs to evaluate its strategy and consider whether Moyes’ managerial style aligns with their ambitions. Perhaps a change at the helm is necessary to unlock the true potential of West Ham and its talented players.
Again the one constant with lack of ambition in transfer market is Sullivan and his part time vastly overpaid ceo Brady who has failed spectacularly with sponsorships deals etc
Nice post Simon. Many have questioned Moyes allowing Bennie and Fornals to depart, but in my opinion the greatest error was to allow Kehrer to leave. He would have given us some pace in central defence in addition to allowing Coufal some down time at right back.
It seems that Kehrer paid the price for one dodgy performance at left back in teh Europa League
Anyway hopefully next season we will use the squad better
The problem isn’t so much about the size of the squad, you only need to look at man city who use roughly the same numbers as us. The problem is the tactics Moyes uses, when you spend most of the games chasing the ball unlike man city who have the ball, it’s hard work . So for his tactics to work he needs a big squad so he is able to rest players.
I’ve played many a game in my time chasing shadows it’s hard work.
Small squad not an issue per se.
Small OLD squad that isn’t actually used to it’s fullest – MASSIVE issue.