David Moyes spoke on his adaptability, the loss of Declan Rice and his side’s stability ahead of West Ham’s 4-2 win against Brentford.
Factually, David Moyes is one of West Ham’s most successful managers in the club’s history. What he has achieved in such a short amount of time is miraculous, securing 3 consecutive seasons of European football as well as a trophy is something fans would have only dreamt of when he joined the club for a second time.
While he is extremely proud of winning the Europa Conference League, he was also keen to highlight the stability he has brought to East London. “If people are going to forget that we’ve just won a European trophy then that would be wrong,” Moyes told Sky Sports ahead of kick-off last night. “Consistency and stability at West Ham might have been the things that were missing.”
“Now there’s a much more stable team and a club which isn’t bouncing along all the time. Europe for three years in a row is a great example.”
However, before putting in a brilliant display against the Bees, West Ham were without a win in 2024. This did not seem to faze Moyes too much as he sees it as a blip rather than a long term issue. “We hoped to be ahead of where we were,” he conceded. “We started the season so well and wanted to keep it up. We had some brilliant wins at some of the top teams.”
“It can happen. You’re not perfect all the way through the season. I wouldn’t say that would be normal for a team on West Ham’s level but quite a few of the top teams have found it difficult in different months this year.”
Obviously, the loss of Declan Rice was always going to have a massive effect on the Hammers but, as a whole, their recruitment following his departure has been excellent. What they are missing though is some real leadership since selling their captain and the Scotsman confessed that West Ham “are feeling a wee bit of the effect at the moment.”
In terms of recruitment, Moyes acknowledged that the club have done “a pretty good job of getting players in,” despite not having “billionaires from Qatar or Saudi.”
Moyes is the oldest and most experienced manager still in the Premier League, with only Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger managing more games than him. Despite what many fans may say, he can only think of one reason that he has succeeded at the top for so long.
“I’ve had to adapt all along,” he claimed. “I’ve changed in huge ways. I’ll always believe that, when I started at Preston, that’s when I was at my best. I didn’t have any baggage, I didn’t have media around me, I could speak the way I wanted. But as you move up, you have to find your own niche. Whether it be my character or my tactical stuff, it’s evolved greatly.”
As it stands, the manager’s future lies in the balance. From his own point of view though, he still has unfinished business at West Ham and that special night in Prague has left him hungry for further success.
“I’m eager to drive on again. I fight tooth and nail for everything I can,” he concluded. “We had an unbelievable success last year and I want another taste of that.”
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