One day, perhaps space will be found outside the London Stadium for a statue of David Moyes’s delirious charge down the touchline after Jarrod Bowen’s winner in the Europa Conference League final. Moyes has done a superb job at West Ham and should be hailed as one of the greatest figures in the club’s history if, as seems likely after losing to Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League, he leaves when his contract expires at the end of the season.
There should be only gratitude towards the Scot for all he has achieved during his second spell in east London. Nobody should forget West Ham were in a relegation battle when Moyes returned in December 2019. Since then they have had three consecutive European campaigns, won a trophy for the first time since 1980 and regularly challenged in the top half of the Premier League, which has given Moyes plenty of ammunition to throw back at his critics whenever the team’s form dips.
Who could do better? West Ham have never qualified for the Champions League and are competing with some of the richest clubs in the world. If they have hit a ceiling under Moyes, then perhaps that is down to financial constraints, particularly in an environment dominated by profitability and sustainability regulations, and in that context it is fair to question whether another manager would be capable of lifting them any higher when the immediate competition for a European spot comes from Saudi-owned Newcastle, Manchester United and Todd Boehly’s £1bn Chelsea.
Some perspective, then. West Ham were bold as they chased down a 2-0 deficit against Leverkusen. They ran hard, showed energy and attacked well. They didn’t look as if they were coached by a negative dinosaur. For many, though, the frustration was that West Ham aren’t always that exciting and expansive. Pundits who defend Moyes point to the trophy and, in hushed tones, tell fans to be careful what they wish for. But it’s a lazy, reductive line that stifles debate and is often uttered by Proper Football Men who know the game but don’t watch West Ham closely.
Just what do these fans want? Well, people who pay a lot to watch games in a repurposed athletics stadium are entitled to crave a team that doesn’t regularly have between 20% and 30% possession. West Ham have Lucas Paquetá, Bowen and Mohammed Kudus. They can be thrilling on the counterattack, and it’s always amusing to watch them stifle a bigger team, but it can also be pretty thin gruel. You can find yourself questioning your life choices during the long spells in which West Ham are sitting back while the opposition endlessly pass the ball from side to side, which often ends with them scoring a crucial late goal.
It’s fine when it works. However, that approach is very result-dependent and West Ham haven’t been producing. They have developed a strange habit of conceding soon after half-time this season and have won four times in all competitions in 2024. They’re a low-block team who have forgotten how to defend, as a record of one clean sheet in the league since the 2-0 win over Arsenal on 28 December demonstrates.
But maybe the low-energy second halves can be explained by West Ham’s lack of depth. The fact that their season is in danger of fizzling out is not a surprise to anyone who paid attention to them during the January transfer window. The squad was already small before Saïd Benrahma, Pablo Fornals and Thilo Kehrer departed. Moyes really needed the expensive loan signing of Kalvin Phillips to work out. He wanted Phillips but the midfielder has been a disaster. Ben Johnson, nominally a full-back, has been more useful as an auxiliary midfielder from the bench. West Ham looked at attacking additions, including a loan deal for Galatasaray’s Wilfried Zaha, but it is understood Moyes did not feel any potential signings would have lifted the squad’s level.
It is hardly the way to attack the Thursday-Sunday schedule. Moyes prefers a small core and has been slow to bring through academy players, but it caught up with West Ham against Leverkusen. They held out until the final 10 minutes in both legs but the inability to make decisive changes swung the tie. It should not be overlooked that all three of Leverkusen’s goals across the two legs were scored by Xabi Alonso’s substitutes.
There is a streak of lingering dysfunction to West Ham. They hired a technical director, Tim Steidten, last summer but have a manager who wants heavy input into signings. The relationship between Moyes and Steidten was said to be tense last summer. It feels as if West Ham have to choose between two recruitment models: the manager or the technical director.
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Working against Moyes is that some of his picks have not worked out. There is a case for David Sullivan, the co-owner and most influential figure at the club, to give control to Steidten and ask the German to find a new manager and rebuild an ageing squad.
A decision has not been made, with talks planned when the season is over. At the moment, the sense from within West Ham is that Moyes, who looked likely to be given a two-year deal in January, will not have his contract renewed. But it could change. West Ham, who are eighth, still have to play Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Liverpool, Luton and Manchester City. Would they let Moyes go if they somehow qualify for Europe again?
Given the fixture list, though, the smart money is on a tired side slipping out of contention. Supporters will look at January and ponder a missed opportunity. They are entitled to be annoyed about dropped points in the league against Burnley, Sheffield United and Everton, not to mention squandering leads against Aston Villa and Newcastle after cautious substitutions.
It is not entitled to wonder whether another manager, with a more possession-based approach, could do better than Moyes. Be careful what you wish for? It does not logically follow that West Ham will automatically struggle if they part ways with Moyes. If they do struggle, that would be down to bad choices. It still doesn’t mean they have to keep playing it safe. Fans are allowed to wish for more.