With so much focus on West Ham and the upheaval expected this summer, it would be impossible not to address the two major issues many supporters believe contributed to the club’s collapse. The “Careful what you wish for” brigade were out in full force yesterday, insisting the club should never have parted ways with David Moyes despite the irony that he’s now facing the anger of Everton fans frustrated by a fourteenth‑place finish and a disastrous second half of the season. As one social media post on a Everton fan site, bluntly put it: “Get him gone!”
This is harsh in my opinion, yet that’s coming from a supporter of a team that finished 18th and is heading for the Championship – in Moyes final season at West Ham we finished 9th! Though for the record I was comfortable with a change of manager, it just needed to be the right one!
Attention then shifts to Jhon Duran, once hailed by many as the ideal striker for West Ham. Duran has now been granted a leave of absence by Zenit St Petersburg after just nine games and two goals. Zenit are already his third club since leaving Aston Villa in 2025.
“Duran poses for West Ham fans as he readies himself to sign”… we wish!
He initially joined Al Nassr for £64m, only to depart six months later for a loan spell at Fenerbahce, where he made 21 appearances, scoring five goals and providing three assists.
This doesn’t automatically justify West Ham choosing Niclas Füllkrug who proved to be an expensive flop. The choice didn’t have to come down to either or, but Duran would have arrived with baggage, and his personality was never likely to suit the West Ham dressing room.
There surely should have been other targets at the time?
Regarding Duran, in hindsight, I saw what he did on the pitch for Aston Villa as a squad player and not the recurring issues that have since followed his career such as fitness, discipline, and stability that have prevented him from settling.
Football moves fast. Just three years ago, West Ham were “Champions of Europe.” Now they find themselves back in the second tier for the first time since the 2011–12 season.
Matt, the Moyes “careful what you blah blah blah” is just simpleton argument stuff that can be filed at the back of the brain once you can satisfy yourself with the clear facts that he managed to survive the sack by producing a couple of separate half seasons of decent form over a 3 season period. Add to that a trophy that, let’s just say should be in the grasp of most English qualifiers every season, as proved by Chelsea winning it last season and Palace’s appearance in the final next week. Let’s also not forget how 2 relegation threatened clubs contested the final of the UEFA / Europa cup last season and Rangers made it to the final the season we were knocked out by Frankfurt.
I’m not saying it’s easy but making the last 4 of these 2 UEFA tournaments shouldn’t really be unexpected by most English clubs. Forest easily made it there whilst simultaneously being a relegation threatened club.
Don’t allow the simplistic linked argument of his firing and our latest demise cloud the dire moments of his management of the club. Our demise is squarely down to very poor top level management of not having a proper succession plan in place post Moyes leaving. As for Everton, it’s absolutely no surprise to see yet another Moyes season fizzle out after a decent 1/2 of form. Who’d of thunk it !!
Sullivan wouldnt pay the asking fee for Duran Let’s get it right
We cannot know how Duran would have turned out if he came here because he didn’t come, but what is for certain is that he would have been worth more than we payed for him as soon as he was on a full term contract.
Which is what Villa did before they sold him.
We also know that there would have been no need to sign Fullkrug who we know exactly how turned out as he did come here and is still on the books amortising and loan feeing away having made no positive contribution on the pitch is a small part of the reason why we’re down.
The majority of West ham fans want Nuno gone…… will we regret that also if we get rid of him and he succeeds at his next club.Be careful what you wish for is coming again.I was all for him gone yesterday but beginning to think he would be better than Parker now,who knows this club is a absolute mess
I like Nuno
He did pretty well once he had his players and a settled squad from mid Jan
Got history getting teams promoted from the championship
I hope he stays
Yes some strange decisions, but Potter and poor recruitment more to blame IMO
Duran was known to be difficult to manage even when he was at Villa and before we expressed interest. Had we signed him there would have been two outcomes. One he would have been successful and he would have quickly pushed for a move. That might have made us some money but we would have been back to square one in needing a striker. Two, he would have been a disaster, pretty much as he is now, and greatly reduced in value with us on a big contract.
The German was expensive and a risk. My guess is that the home sickness that he suffered almost as soon as he arrived was a big factor. Clubs are meant to have people who deal with player welfare issues. Did we fail there as well?
Club has been in decline for a long time and the European night papered over the cracks. Even under Moyes at times we were a poor team, and obvious to all but the people that mattered at the time, an ageing team. We’ve suffered through years of bad management, a squad put together by various different managers, heads of recruitment and an owner who has to get involved. No wonder it’s been disjointed with a squad put together by so many different people. Time to learn from the Brightons, Brentford’s and Bournemouths and re-structure the club off the field to see better recruitment and therefore better chances for decent results on the field.
I never saw the attraction of Duran. Whilst he scored some spectacular goals they were normally from the bench. More importantly there was enough stuff in the public domain which clearly identified him as ticking time bomb in the changing room.
Steidten showed his weakness in once failing to get Duran ( who he should have stayed clear of) his next choice was Fulkrug with his injury problems.
Indeed, I wonder whether Steidten was attracted to a certain personality type with Duran, Fulkrug and Tobido all seemingly willing to disrupt the team dynamic for their own benefit