Conflicting messages from the Hammers boss over the last week, despite the crucial success against Brentford on Monday, still make it questionable whether he will stay or go in the summer…
There’s a section in former West Ham striker Craig Bellamy’s autobiography (GoodFella, for those interested) where he talks about scoring the winning goal for Wales against Denmark to ease the pressure on boss Bobby Gould (another ex-Hammers, of course).
However, not everyone seemed to be celebrating as teammate Dean Saunders said to Bellamy, “You do realise you saved his job?”
Just a few days after reading the story, this columnist heard veteran West Ham fan David say something very similar when Jarrod Bowen’s hat-trick helped the Kladivars secure an important 4-2 win against Brentford on Monday night.
The result not only broke West Ham’s unfortunate run of eight games without a win and lifted the team to eighth place in the standings, but also increased the likelihood for many that manager David Moyes is likely to sign a new contract at the end of the season.
When asked by Sky Sports after the game about his future, he said: “I’m not leaving, that’s for sure.”
However, this seems to be in direct contradiction to his comments last week when he claimed that the contract was ready to be signed, but decided to put down the pressure of putting pen to paper.
“There’s a contract for me and I’m the one who decided to wait until the end of the season,” he said.
“I’m happy to wait and there are many reasons for that. I have to make sure it’s the right thing for the club, for me and for my family.”
So one moment he’s ducking out, also known as “fancying about”, and the next he’s going nowhere, seemingly because of a win against Brentford, who have lost 10 of their last 12 Premier League games.
The Guardian recently described West Ham’s form as “weeks of closed-door football”, but Brentford’s results since November have been diareia, sorry, diabolical.
To mention that is to create context, not to take anything away from the Hammers, who have lost to the Bees in their five and only Premier League meetings and were themselves low on confidence after failing to win a single game this year.
Like a greyhound that has ingested a cocktail of substances unlike any since Ozzy Osbourne went on tour with hedonists Mötley Crüe in the mid-1980s, they sprung out of the traps and Bowen put West Ham two goals up in seven minutes.
Credit must go to the players – and the manager – for that. Another defeat, a fourth in a row, would have been devastating, especially with Saturday’s game against Everton followed by an away game at Freiburg in Germany next Thursday, when the club returns to action in the Europa League.
So what to make of Moyes’ words over the last week?
In terms of his desire to be patient in signing a new contract, it seems admirable that he is willing to wait rather than break chairman David Sullivan’s arm when most managers would only consider possible compensation.
It is gratifying that he says he wants to do ‘the right thing for the club’, and it is also natural that he will mention what is best for me and my family. And that is what it could be about.
Every manager has an ego – all players, in fact. It is a necessary trait if you want to have a successful career in football and show the confidence to succeed.
This writer has spoken to and interviewed a number of West Ham bosses – including Harry Redknapp, Billy Bonds, John Lyall, Glenn Roeder, Alan Pardew, Lou Macari, Alan Curbishley, Gianfranco Zola, Sam Allardyce and Avram Grant – and got to know what tickles them. Belief in yourself.
Moyes was keen to remind us of his achievements with the Kladivari. Recently, he insisted: “We had some great years in Europe,” and on Monday he said: “Not long ago we were a relegated team, but now we’ve climbed up the European ladder.”
But as we all know, there have been harsh criticisms of the negative style of football – especially when the team has struggled – and the fact that the fans have (rightly) voiced their displeasure has clearly got under his sensitive skin.
He seems to feel frustrated because his ego is being undermined by fans (and columnists/newsmen) who are not giving him the necessary recognition and respect he feels he deserves. And ultimately, we all need to feel as if we are loved.
It is like U2 getting upset when one of their latest albums fails to reach number one in the charts.
So Moyes might want to stick it out until the summer before deciding on his future. He does not want to expose his family to disapproval. And if the West Ham fans don’t want him, he will pick up his box of Tic Tacs and take them somewhere else. Like at Celtic.
So it all depends on what happens between now and May. Moyes will assess the results and the mood of the fans. And as he says, hopefully he’ll do “the right thing for the club”…