David Moyes could become the first West Ham manager since John Lyall to win a major trophy if this season’s Europa Conference League campaign reaches a successful conclusion. And yet should the Hammers reach the final in Prague on 7 June, there is every chance that it could be the Scot’s final match in charge.
The 60-year-old finds himself in the unusual position of potentially becoming West Ham’s most successful boss in decades and yet unwanted by large swatches of the club’s fanbase. It has been a difficult, draining campaign for the club, but one that could yet end in unlikely glory.
West Ham must overcome a youthful AZ Alkmaar side, managed by an impressive up-and-coming coach in Pascal Jansen who are currently fourth in the Eredivisie table, two points behind Ajax, if they are to reach a first European final (sorry, the 1999 Intertoto Cup doesn’t count) in 58 years. Overcome AZ and one of FC Basel or Fiorentina will await in the Czech Republic’s capital. Tricky? Yes. Mission Impossible? Absolutely not.
West Ham may have gone 43 years without a trophy, dating back to Trevor Brooking’s winner against Arsenal in the 1980 FA Cup final, but given their transfer expenditure and individual quality, they are probably the favourites to win it. Their £180m outlay on new signings this summer is four times more than AZ, Fiorentina and Basel’s combined. West Ham’s record signing is Lucas Paqueta from Lyon for £51m; AZ’s is Mounir El Hamdaoui who cost around £6m in 2007.
That creates its own kind of pressure. Although West Ham ultimately fell short in their quest to reach last season’s Europa League final, they were perceived to have overachieved to reach the last four, beating competition specialists Sevilla and French giants Lyon along the way, before falling short against eventual champions Eintracht Frankfurt.
This time in this competition, expectation has replaced hope. Given the financial disparity that exists between Premier League clubs and the rest, its Conference League representative will be the favourite to win it more often than not. In that context, Moyes may find it difficult to win over his detractors either way. Anything less than a triumph in European football’s third-tier tournament will be viewed as a failure and winning it might not even save him.
West Ham’s dwindling domestic returns is why the tide has turned against Moyes at various points in this campaign. If the Premier League were the Hunger Games, Moyes and Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper would be the finalists. The other eight clubs in the bottom half of the table have changed managers 11 times since August and though Moyes has frequently appeared to be on the brink, he has conjured up a positive result in the nick of time every time.
In January, he triumphed over Frank Lampard in “El Sackico”, while April brought two nerve-jangling 1-0 wins over Southampton and Fulham days after heavy four-goal losses away at Brighton and at home to Newcastle. In that 5-1 defeat to the Magpies, West Ham fans – at least the ones who stuck around until the end – applauded as the visiting fans chanted “You’re getting sacked in the morning!” A few even joined in. At that point, his position looked untenable, but he’s still prowling the London Stadium’s vast technical area a month on.
With Premier League survival all but assured and the spectre of doom therefore lifted after David de Gea’s gift last weekend, the pressure has eased on Moyes a touch. But the fact that West Ham were still embroiled in a relegation battle in May following a record-breaking summer transfer window and league finishes of 7th and 6th in the two previous seasons, has led to scrutiny on Moyes’ position.
His struggles to integrate new signings has also been a source of frustration, although Paqueta is finally beginning to showcase his talents and Nayef Aguerd has been largely impressive since putting his injury issues behind him. Moyes has also not been helped by the sudden availability of high-profile managers, with Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter both on the market after being sacked by Leicester and Chelsea.
Moyes may feel, with a certain justification, as though he has become a victim of his own success. Twice he was hired with West Ham flirting with relegation and twice he guided them to safety. He has secured the club’s second and joint-third best league position in the Premier League era and has a superior win percentage to any of his predecessors over the past three decades.
And yet the doubts persist. The pinnacle of Moyes’ career could be just a few weeks away. But what happens next is shrouded in uncertainty.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/YkOn6Iu
Post a Comment