Former West Ham gaffer David Moyes has been on a charm offensive recently, speaking candidly about the Hammers.
Moyes seems to have set aside his disappointment at losing his job at the London Stadium, praising his former players and even offering encouragement to his struggling successor, Julen Lopetegui.
Speaking to the press during the most recent round of fixtures, Moyes said:
“We had just about got to a period of really good stability at West Ham… Regular in Europe three years in a row and finishing in a decent position in the league. I’m just more disappointed that it’s not quite looking as stable as what it was then.”
Frankly, I was astonished by the comments. Like much of the media, Moyes seems to have erased his final season from the record books.
Make no mistake, West Ham’s decline began under Moyes last season, when the Hammers conceded a record number of Premier League goals in the club’s history. While Julen Lopetegui has many questions to answer this season, he is not to blame for the absence of European football.
Nobody can fault Moyes for his fine leadership during the COVID era or his impressive management of back-to-back European campaigns. But it’s a bit rich to suggest the Hammers’ success ended with his departure.
The reality is Moyes’ team began crumbling last season. The defensive ineptitude didn’t suddenly appear the moment Lopetegui walked through the London Stadium doors. The Hammers were already a soft touch, suffering heavy defeats regularly.
Moyes used defensive tactics even against relegation threatened teams
The club must shoulder some blame, too. Had West Ham strengthened during last season’s January transfer window, they might have fared better. Losing to a very good Bayer Leverkusen side in Europe was no disgrace, but who knows what might have happened if a portion of this season’s transfer budget had been spent earlier?
That said, Moyes made tactical missteps that hindered progress. Setting up not to concede against teams like Sheffield United and delaying substitutions until well behind against Fulham, Crystal Palace, and Arsenal contributed to missing out on a fourth consecutive European campaign.
While much of Moyes’ criticism is valid, it’s disingenuous to imply he had no role in the team’s decline. His final season wasn’t the picture of stability he remembers.
Still, there’s no denying West Ham are a mess this season, and even Moyes at his best might struggle to steady the ship in its current state. But it is worth remembering that just because the current Irons boss is useless doesn’t suddenly mean that all Moyes flaws are forgotten.
I think the only person who may have a more selective memory than Moyesey is Gonzo. Ringleader of the fan effort to out Moyes, now suggesting we play Moyes tactics on match preview. I’m amazed someone so braindead is confident enough to spout such nonsense.
Moyes main issue was his poor recruitment. Turned down players that did more than well elsewhere, accepted some that totally bombed, failed to recruit a striker for what seemed forever. He was suggesting the likes of Maguire at the end and paying a huge loan for Phillips. We’re still suffering from that even now.
On the plus side when he did get the personnel right his tactics could be extremely effective if not particularly easy on the eye. He seemed to run a happy ship and was able to deal with the interferences of Sullivan was maybe a more important factor than we give credit for as most of our problems are self manufactured.
Ironically he probably would have been better with a director of football dealing with transfers. I think his time had come at the end, if only one of Steidtens recommendations had been brought in to replace him and not Lopetegui who was the wrong appointment from the first second.
I am sorry, Moyesie is not at it again. It is you folks, you Moyes haters who are at it again. I have been following WHU the past 5 years – Moyes got you guys up to no. 6 and 7, but couldnt sustain it, because Team Dynamics changed, and the defence was simply not good anymore, and Rice had gone too…..here was a man who was struggling to re-adjust, but you WHU fans, literally hounded the man out. What were you expecting – WHU to play like Guardiola’s team. Moyes has been very gentlemanly, and he is correct – he set up a platform wherein WHU could dream again….Gratitude for an honest, and decent man, is absent in WHU supporter base. I am sorry – you guys don’t deserve to do well.
I certainly don’t hate him, and I was not one of the Moyes out brigade, but even I could see that he was time expired goods at the end.
Not just the last year Gonzo, the last 2.5 years we have been declining but getting away with it, masked with a cup win.
We have the oldest squad in the PL I think, correct me if I am wrong and this strategy to buy players over 25 hasn’t worked so far although would be curious to see if it can turnaround with a different coaching setup.
Hopefully something shifts soon on the manager front or better the Chairman front.
I think you also have to remember that Moyes refused the contract he was offered last Christmas. His reward for sixth place and a record points total up to December was to lose control of transfers. No wonder he lost interest in the January transfer window and the rest of the season
It wasn’t just Moyes that lost interest, it was the players too. Some fans, with overinflated egos, started to call for him to get the sack due to ‘style of play’ just after we’d beaten Arsenal. Namely one Gonzo. The players didn’t want Moyes to leave, obviously, just look at how they’ve reacted, and now the mouthpiece of hot air has got his way we’re languishing in the bottom half, he’s still talking drivel.
Typical Moyes, so far up his own backside he thinks he’s Ferguson and Guardiola rolled into one and don’t mention the Knighthood !! what with him, Southgate and Khan King Charles must have had surplus stock !
He started the demise of this club and contrary to his opinion left the very foundations crumbling. Now we have the ( hard to believe) equally hopeless Spanish version, employed by our Head of Football Science, the clueless Sullivan. Someone needs to have a word in his Ear, and explain the way forward was to buy Marco Silva out of contract- ahh, he doesn’t like paying compensation does he ? Fair enough, go and spunk millions on two Bob players and lose millions in the process. Astute businessman ? maybe on dildos but obviously not football – get out, Sullivan !
Marco Silva??
You’re having a laugh, mate.
Spot on. Two wrongs don’t make a right.
The current guy is clueless, erratic and seems to have terrible man management skills amongst other things. Having said all that at least we are sometimes in the opposition half, he doesn’t wait until 65 minutes to make a like for like substitution. He doesn’t wait until change the starting line up. And at least you look at the bench now and there are players that are capable of doing something and we don’t flog the same old horses until they are run into the ground. This guy probably won’t be around long and I doubt anyone wanted him in the first place apart from our chairman. But we need to replace him with someone most of us are enthused by and can get behind, not someone like Potter who will divide the fans and then back to square one next season.
Spot on.
He should’ve been fired in the 2022 World Cup break.