CandH exclusive blogger former academy chief Terry Westley assesses the new manager’s impact in conversation with Hughie Southon
It’s great to have seen David Moyes get away to such a great start but those who believe we have seen the end of the West Ham Way are probably right…for the time being anyway!
To be honest it’s always been a bit deluded to call open attacking football the ‘West Ham Way’ because it’s the way of many clubs – we don’t own the patent.
As things are right now playing nice little flicks off the side of your boot, moving into space and receiving passes before slipping balls in behind for sensational strikes isn’t quite what we can afford to be about all the time.
David Moyes has shown already that he can organise a defence and get us moving forward well – the performance against Gillingham was top class and showed both sides of our game under the new manager. People have the right to be pleased.
The club needs to be stable and solid because even in my time at West Ham I worked under four managers in four years which isn’t on.
Maybe we would be in a much better place had David stayed on because as I said in the last blog he is meticulous and pays keen attention to detail…he’s shown that against Bournemouth and the Gills.
He looks as though he may go with the players he has with the possible odd addition here and there from the window and his next job will be to decide on the youngsters.
Martin Samuelsen is back and make no mistake for all that’s happened to him with illness and injury he’s a very fine and skilful player. I wonder if he can put it together at the age of 24. I really hope so.
Ben Johnson is on his way back from injury and may get a chance with Ryan Fredericks injured whilst Nathan Holland may be on his way to Oxford and Conor Coventrey interests MK Dons and a couple of others.
Terry Westley and the West Ham way !
Probably like most West Ham fans, I’m bored of this saying.
The West Ham way disappeared 40 years ago.
Average load of foreigners here for the money who couldn’t care less about the football.
Get good players who can run , pass and shoot and win games and funnily enough the so called West Ham way will miraculously be back!
Any word on what’s in store for Haksabanovic? I thought he looked decent when he did pre season with the first team, and maybe a long term replacement for Lanzini or Snoddy?
Funny isn’t it how we’ve seen more open attacking football under Moyes than we ever saw under pellegrini. Allardyce was too long ball and defensive, peelegrini too short ball and attacking but open at the back because not defensive enough. Moyes seems to be the right balance between the two. Defensive base from which to attack from, attacking but without leaving ourselves open at the back.
Surprised you are commenting on anything to do with West Ham, in your time at the Club young players dried up in comparison to the Tony Carr era, the West Ham way under your academy leadership came to a grinding halt
I think that the concept of the “West Ham way” gained currency as a reaction to BFS who made the mistake of scorning the supporters (and also played some pretty dire football). What comes to mind however are the words of a Liverpool manager (I think it was Bill Shankly) “West Ham – lovely team, play nice football and we always beat them”
Last season we were involved in some games where we were so open and easy to play against that we made Cardiff and AFC Wimbledon among others look like world beaters
I would be happy to put away the “West Ham way” for now if it means no more repeats of such performances
I’m old enough to have been going to watch west ham since the sixties and i don’t ever remember then or subsequent years hearing the term “The west ham way”.
As others have said it is a term which came out in the allardyce era which the press got hold of and ran with it.