The man who wants to change West Ham

David Moyes took it on the chin, admitted he was wrong and just got on with business. That being to change once and for all the image of West Ham outside the Hammers' bubble.

He got it wrong against Brighton; the wrong selection, wrong tactics. Just a mess. A bad day at the office, we’ve all been there, haven’t we?


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And the inevitable abuse flowed his way, not surprising really because the die-hard, anti Moyes brigade have been waiting for their moment. Most of the season had seen them running out of ammunition, if not vitriol.

The results kept improving, Moyes’ signings continued to look top class and the team were nestled nicely in mid-table. At one point, looking for a top four place. How hard it must be to be a fully paid-up member of the Moyes hate mob?

The twitter terrorists had been waiting, having been made to look pretty daft with all their bluster and hostility. But how annoying must it be to constantly have the facts spoiling all that twitter outrage?

Not the man for West Ham; too old, too old school, too set in his ways, past his best. Unfortunately facts came into it again.

Somehow he dug himself out of a hole with some decent half time changes against Brighton and a point was salvaged - even if it wasn't a level of performance to make anyone happy.

Then came Southampton, where to be fair we generally do ok. One of my last away trips before the lockdown was to see Seb Haller score the winner last season.

A couple of bars and a nice restaurant later, lots of Hammers fans having a night away and I just managed to get myself back north in time for a granddaughter’s birthday party. Pushed it a bit there, said her indoors! You all know that look of silent disapproval, surely.


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Anyway, that was then, this is now and I’m glad I have discovered Amazon Prime. Moyes and the side produced a dogged away performance, so very untypical of West Ham. The Premier League’s latest flavour of the month were left frustrated and fortunate not to have lost; if only Said Benrahma hadn't been denied a late winner.

Another small step on the path Moyes has chosen to change West Ham. The new look he sees in the future to change that view of us from outside as a flaky, inconsistent, laughably incompetent side and club, accused of being run like a stall on Roman Road market.

Again, the facts spoil the spoilers. That result meant we had taken 20 points from the last 13 league games, having been beaten only three times in that run by title contenders Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool. Nothing much wrong with that considering the lop-sided, paper thin squad that had been starved of decent recruitment for a few windows.

Again the haters seem to lack reality. What do they really expect? Do they still have that distant myth that we are in some way better than all this? An over inflation of dreams, an unsustainable belief that way back in the midst of time, the 60s and 70s none of them probably even knew, that we somehow influenced the way the game should be played. How long is it now since we won anything?

We have no right to such lofty ideals. Hungary, Ajax, Brazil, Manchester United, even Spurs’ double winners have such claims, but not West Ham. Yet Moyes is still expected to turn out a side with tactics that will be cut to shreds in the current Premier League.


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Lets just see it as it is. We have a board who can’t or won’t spend, a club who are constantly being told are in a financial mess. Loans, share issues, frozen spends on transfers plus a pesky pandemic, means Moyes is working with hands tied behind his back.

But the facts tell a different story. He has just completed a full calendar year in control at the London Stadium, and his overall record is P40 W14 D10 L16 F 60 A59. The League run is P35 W11 D10 L14 F 51 A 51 Pts 43. The lockdown record is P25 W9 D8 L8 F37 A 35 Pts35.

He has in place a solid backroom staff we all agree surely is pretty impressive. Kevin Nolan is in charge of set-pieces and the whole thing seems to be working like clockwork backstage.

Moyes has a plan, a formula he is working to. A formula that he believes will bring us sustained progress. He is on course for his third successful fight against the drop and that means around £400m of Sky money. Yes, this is when David Sullivan takes notice.

We were in the bottom three when Moyes returned to the club, and now we are about five wins away from being safe for another season. The team spirit is strong, the work ethic likewise. What more do the naysayers want, Barcelona?

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