Should West Ham be looking to replace David Moyes?
- by Staff Writer #3
- Filed: Tuesday, 24th April 2018
Although David Moyes hasn’t been the manager of West Ham for long, some people are beginning to ask the question as to whether or not he is the man to take West Ham forward after the current football season draws to a close.
Moyes was appointed as the new manager of The Hammers on 7th November last year. His credentials are reasonable, having managed 499 Premier matches with Everton, Manchester United, and Sunderland. But is he the right man to be at the helm in terms of rejuvenating the team to recapture its attractive, attacking footballing roots?Embed from Getty Images
Moyes hasn’t done a bad job so far
During his heady days at Everton, Moyes built an impressive record and was well respected. But since then, he appears to have lost his edge as a manager. He still displays that well-known tenacity, stubbornness and strictness, and when it comes down to keeping West Ham in the Premier League this season, he is a fair choice.
It must be borne in mind that when Moyes was first appointed, The Hammers were languishing in the relegation zone with just nine points to their name. Now, they are in 14th position in the league with 34 points under their belt. He hasn’t done a bad job so far.
Tony Cottee, has gone on record saying that Moyes is a “safe pair of hands”, but is that enough?
Fans want a return to West Ham’s golden era
However, while Moyes has a reputation for being able to grind out results under pressure (which is something the club needs right now given where they are in the table and the difficult run-in they have to the end of the season), fans won’t want to tolerate this sort of approach next season.
They want a return to the golden era when the team had players the likes of Bobby Moore, Martin Peters and Geoff Hurst; players who were also the backbone of the 1966 England World Cup winning team. In those days West ham were a team to be respected and admired.
Staking a claim in the modern game
In order to regain some of its former character, many supporters feel that the club needs to build on its heritage and reinvent itself to stake a claim in the modern game. Co-owners David Gold and Davis Sullivan have been accused of keeping too tight a rein on the purse strings, but they have vowed to realign the club’s recruitment process.
Is Leonardo Jardim the man for the task ahead?
However, to get the club back to its attacking best, many believe Moyes' services will need to be dispensed with for the likes of someone such as Leonardo Jardim, the Monaco manager. Jardim is fast building himself a reputation as the new Pap Guardiola, and it's just that sort of managerial flair that West Ham need going into next season, although his name has also been linked as a potential replacement for Arsene Wenger.
What it all boils down to though, is whether Messrs Gold and Sullivan have the appropriate drive and cash to attract the likes of Jardim in order to give supporters back their identity and pride in the team.
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