Graeme Souness has left fans in utter shock with a staggering take on David Moyes and the situation at West Ham.
The subject has caused a divide among some supporters into two distinct camps ‘Moyes In’ and ‘Moyes Out’.
Some West Ham fans unfurled banners and held aloft signs saying ‘Moyes Out’ after the defeat at Forest.
It was an eighth game without a win for West Ham in 2024. And it followed a mass walk out at half-time of the recent 6-0 defeat to London rivals Arsenal.
Those in the ‘Moyes Out’ camp argue that the manager is far too negative in his tactics and approach. And they want to see a more progressive, modern manager who plays a more exciting brand of football on the front foot.
The reaction of the football media has – largely – been to chastise and mock those supporters calling for change.
And the ‘Moyes Out’ faction also – justifiably – suggest their point about the manager would be proved by a lack of top clubs queuing up for his services should he leave West Ham.
The likes of former Hammers player Don Hutchison has told Moyes to walk out on ungrateful West Ham fans.
Because he says West Ham are a huge club with a massive fanbase who are entitled to expect a better brand of football, regardless of how well Moyes has done.
Souness says Moyes has been at West Ham long enough and brought in enough of his own players to have developed the team’s style of play to be more in keeping with the expectations of the fans.
“Listen when you get a job at a football club you walk in and you have to deal with the group of players you have,” Souness said.
“And I think the criticism that David Moyes gets is that the players he’s bringing in and for (playing a) counter attacking football. I don’t think (it’s where they are in the table that’s the issue), they’re sitting ninth in the league. It’s how they’re doing it.
“If you’re at a football club two, three, four years then you’re buying players that you want to be bossing games, you want to be on the front foot, you want to be playing in the opposition’s half – especially at home.
“And I just think West Ham, for a West Ham supporter, it’s not terribly enjoyable. Because you’re playing counter-attacking football, you’re on the receiving end of the other team having the ball all the time. And it’s not an enjoyable watch.
“Overall he’s done a good job there. But it’s David’s style. It’s perceived as being negative. He’s working with a group of players which he thinks the best way of getting a result out of them is going this way. But then you fire another argument, if you’ve been there several years, you’re going to then buy players who are going to take you away from that and then you become more proactive (as a team) instead of reactive.
“On Sky someone said to me about ‘the West Ham way’. I said I’m not quite sure what ‘the West Ham way’ is. But I think the way the modern game has evolved, West Ham are a big football club. Look at that catchment area down there, enormous catchment area, great stadium. I think you buy a season ticket and you go to watch your team, you want it to be enjoyable.
“Ok you get a wee bit of enjoyment if you play counter-attacking football and you’ve won 1-0. They’re wanting more than that and I understand why they want more than that. And I think David – who is not new to the game – he must realise what he needs to give them.”
Once you’ve picked yourself – or your jaw – up from the floor, you can watch the brilliant two minute analysis in the video below.
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