Paul Merson slams ‘shocking’ West Ham United live on Sky Sports after what he saw
Paul Merson was surprised at what David Moyes did at West Ham ahead of the 2-0 defeat against Nottingham Forest, following the loss to Arsenal last weekend.
Merson was surprised the boss made changes to the team which lost to Arsenal, as he suggested he could have sent the same players out and told them to make up for that 6-0 defeat.
The former Arsenal player was proved right in his scepticism as the Hammers eventually fell to another defeat and failed to find the back of the net, with Kalvin Phillips sent off after coming back into the side.
Speaking live on Sky Sports News [17 February, 14:11], Merson shared: “I’m surprised he made changes. I thought he might just play the same team and say ‘Get on with it’, you know? ‘You get yourselves out of trouble.’
“They let him down [against Arsenal]. It wasn’t a David Moyes team. Some of the decision-making was bordering on shocking. West Ham teams, you don’t expect to get done at set plays. Everything was wrong about them.
“This is a game where Forest fans will turn up and say ‘It’s West Ham, we’ll win this game.’ This is a hard game. They’ll turn up, the fans, but this is a hard game for Forest. West Ham and David Moyes will make sure this team is ready.”
West Ham fall to yet another defeat against Nottingham Forest
The clash with Forest was a crucial one, not only as far as the Hammers were concerned, but also in terms of Moyes’ future and position at the club as the pressure continues to pile on.
Since that heavy defeat to Arsenal, rumours have been circling surrounding the managerial role, and with a contract offer having been delayed, Moyes would be given the next few games to turn their recent run of form around.
With Forest struggling towards the bottom of the table, this should have been viewed as an ideal opportunity for Moyes to get West Ham’s first three points of 2024, but Forest ran out 2-0 victors at the City Ground to heap pressure on the boss.
Merson’s insistence that the Hammers would be a difficult side to face this week should have been true, but they rolled over at the first sign of adversity in a performance which casts further doubt on Moyes’ position.
In other West Ham news, Troy Deeney shared his verdict on Moyes’ position.
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