Life is tough as the manager of a Premier League team. It can be the best job in the world if things are going well, but if results suffer you could soon find yourself vilified by the fans and the press, and you live with the ever-present danger of losing your job.
West Ham United manager David Moyes has certainly had a torrid time of late. Will the pressure prove too much and see him become the ninth Premier League manager to be sacked this season? Or will he remain in his post for the remainder of the campaign?
Where are West Ham in the League?
The Hammers sit in 18th place, in the relegation zone with a paltry 20 points, just two ahead of bottom-placed Southampton. Of their 23 games played so far this season, West Ham have won just five, recording five draws and a shocking 19 losses.
This couldn’t be more different to last season, where after 23 games West Ham sat in fifth place with 37 points. They finished that season in 7th place, a more than respectable result. So what could be behind the team’s total capitulation?
What has Happened to West Ham?
Moyes has been backed in the transfer market. The Scot has brought in a number of talented players to improve his squad, including Gianluca Scamacca, signed for £30.5 million from Sassuolo, Luca Paqueta, signed for £51 million from Lyon, and Nayef Aguerd, for £31.5 million from Stade Rennais.
Despite this, West Ham have floundered and have failed to maintain any sense of consistency. The results have been bad, but not shockingly bad. Often losing by thin one-goal margins or reaching flat stalemates. The signs would suggest that there is a team there, but for one reason or another, the manager can’t seem to get the best out of his players.
In this kind of situation, there is usually only one outcome. If the incumbent manager can’t get results, someone needs to be brought in who can.
West Ham Stand by Moyes
After their most recent defeat, a tepid 2-0 loss to Spurs, fans and pundits alike were awaiting the news from London Stadium that Moyes had been relieved of his position. Instead, the opposite happened. West Ham confirmed that they would be standing by David Moyes, and that he would be given another chance to turn the season around.
In today’s modern football landscape where managers are sacked on a regular occurrence, this show of loyalty was touching. However, it could also speak to a degree of naivety and even recklessness. If Moyes has been unable thus far to put any kind of winning run together, what’s to say he’ll be able to do so in time to save West Ham from relegation?
Some have suggested that the real reason behind the decision to keep Moyes on is a lack of suitable replacements. Regardless, if results continue as they have been, there can be no other option for West Ham, and we will see a new manager before the end of the season.
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