Jamie O’Hara and Dean Saunders clashed live during the debate on David Moyes’ future at West Ham United, as speculation about his situation continued to surface.
The Hammers currently occupy seventh place in the Premier League and have secured a place in the Europa League after Christmas, but Moyes and Irons’ bosses have not yet begun talks about extending his stay at the London Stadium.
While O’Hara agreed that he could understand the frustration of some fans at Moyes’ “pragmatic” approach, Saunders urged fans to be careful what they wish for and backed the Scot to stay at the helm of the Irons.
Speaking to talkSPORT (28 December, 6:24pm), he said: ‘Saunders said that in this case he has decided to take the following course of action: he thinks he is doing a great job for West Ham. “Where is West Ham in the rankings, seventh or eighth? They have won the cup and they have stability in the club.
“If you sack him, someone else will eventually come in and turn the club upside down and it will be in the relegation zone.”
O’Hara hit back, saying of being relegated, “I think they have a problem with David Moyes because they have got results and they respect what David Moyes has done, they really do, but part of football is very pragmatic.
“I think with some of the players they’ve signed now they’ve actually got a very good squad and I think they’re probably worried that they’re going to lose their best players with some of the football they’re playing and maybe we could go right, let’s try something new.”
Try something new:
This doesn’t mean it’s not worth trying something new: changing a manager always comes with a certain risk, especially with someone as established as Moyes at West Ham at the helm, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.
Moyes has brought some stability to the London Stadium and nobody is trying to take away his past successes, but that does not necessarily mean that he should stay at the helm for the foreseeable future.
He did a great job last season by winning the Europa League Conference and three consecutive seasons in European football is an incredible achievement, but West Ham is a much better team than it was when he took over and a new manager may be needed to take the next step.
Too often, football has been slow and pragmatic, and with Mohamed Kudus and Lucas Paquet at his disposal, the Scot should take the handbrake off more often and let the attacking talent express itself.
Let’s hope that Moyes’ future will become clearer sooner or later.