It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster journey since David Moyes took charge of the hot seat at West Ham. Some things have improved, some things have got worse. Results are here and there and it’s a lottery what sort of performance the team will put in from one week to the next.
Under Slaven Bilic there was clearly a massive decline in fitness and attitude and a change was in dire need to save our season. At the start of Moyes’ tenure, a huge overhaul was made in training, and it paid dividends quickly. The players straight away looked fitter, more determined and finally seemed like they could last a full 90 mins.
Marko Arnautovic has undoubtedly been his greatest success. Going from the villain of the piece to almost God-like stature amongst the West Ham faithful. A player who didn’t seem to be at all bothered at the beginning of the campaign is now the team’s figurehead and it’s hardest worker.
Whether this change is purely down to Moyes’ influence or a change in position and responsibility, or perhaps both, is something that must go towards appraisal in the direction of the management staff. Allowing Masuaku to become the left winger we had been dreaming of, with the freedom to use his full skill set and take on opposition players at will, was another great decision.
He has shown the potential that he possesses and although his form has dipped every now and then, most fans would surely agree he’s the team’s best option on the left hand. However, mainly recently, results have declined, we haven’t taken advantage from situations we should have and performance have also dipped. Players are making fundamental mistakes and are going into games with negative attitudes.
He’s also not backing up his players in the press either. He’s hung Declan Rice and Manuel Lanzini out to dry after mistakes that have led to goals conceded, and has just been involved with a fall out with Andy Carroll (both have now made up apparently). Moyes is also stubbornly not starting Hernandez, which is now getting tedious as the players starting over the former Manchester United striker aren’t doing a better job themselves.
Does this highlight where Moyes is failing as manager? Or does he have a point and the players are simply letting him down? The fans have grown tired of his tactics, team selection and general demeanour.
It is looking increasingly likely that Moyes will not stay on as manager even though he has succeeded in keeping the club up, which on the face of it, seems maybe a little harsh for doing the job he was brought in to do. Hopefully the team can galvanise themselves for the final two games and finish the season as strongly as possible. Whether that is down to Moyes’s influence, and his relationship with the dressing room, remains to be seen.
Be the first to comment