West Ham made the decision to part company with Slaven Bilic following the club’s stuttering start to the 2017/18 season. The board opted to replace him with David Moyes, which was not met with optimism by Hammers’ supporters following his recent managerial record.
The Scot had failed in his previous three jobs after his impressive 11-year spell with Everton. At Manchester United he faced the unenviable task of replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, but lasted just 10 months in the role, resulting in the Red Devils finishing in their lowest position since the formation of the Premier League.
Moyes went abroad for his next role with the determination to put his woes at United behind him. However, his time with Real Sociedad proved to be just as unsuccessful as he lasted only a year in the dugout at Anoeta Stadium before he was sacked in November 2015. The Scot left the club in 16th place in La Liga following a 2-0 defeat to Las Palmas. His replacement Eusebio Sacristan saved the club from relegation, before guiding Txuri-urdinak to a sixth-place finish last term.
The next stop for Moyes was Sunderland following Sam Allardyce’s appointment as England manager in July 2016. Black Cats chairman Ellis Short claimed that Moyes was his top choice for the last few of the club’s managerial vacancies, but had not managed to convince him to join the club.
However, on this occasion, he managed to get him over the line. Unfortunately for the American and Sunderland, Moyes’ tenure on Wearside was a disaster, beginning by claiming his team were in a relegation battle after the second game of the season. Poor recruitment, including a number of old Everton players, drew criticism, while the improvement Sunderland had shown under Allardyce earlier had disintegrated.
A brief run of form in December offered slight hope, but the Black Cats won just twice in the second half of the campaign, resulting in their relegation from the Premier League. Moyes did not help himself with a number of negative comments and bizarre decisions, while he also became involved in a scandal after he “threatened” to slap a female reporter in a post-match interview. He resigned from his post at the end of the season.
It was a surprise for West Ham to move for Moyes – earning a great deal of poor press for the decision. However, after failing to win any of his opening four matches, the Hammers pulled off an impressive victory over Chelsea before drawing at home against Arsenal. Another fine performance followed away at Stoke, moving the club away from the relegation zone. If you bet on football, West Ham appear to be on track towards a path to safety, especially with the struggles of the teams around them in the table.
The Scot will know that this could be his last Premier League opportunity. He has made a solid start by making the Hammers stoic at the back. They were too easily exposed during Bilic’s tenure, but now the backline looks solid with an additional layer of protection. At the other end of the pitch, with Manuel Lanzini, Javier Hernandez, Michail Antonio and Marko Arnautovic, West Ham have the talent to pick teams off in the final third.
It won’t be spectacular football under Moyes, but he has the perfect squad of players for his style of play. They will work hard behind the ball and play to expectations, while they have enough of a clinical edge to finish comfortably in mid-table. The 54-year- old only has a contract until the end of the term, although a strong campaign could see him extend his stay and begin construction on the rehabilitation of his managerial image.
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