Danny Murphy shares West Ham United relegation prediction in verdict on David Moyes
West Ham will secure Premier League survival thanks to their manager David Moyes and the quality of their squad, according to pundit Danny Murphy.
Moyes has been linked with an exit from the London Stadium in recent months amid a poor league campaign for the Hammers, despite their place in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
They currently sit 18th in the Premier League table, just one point off rock-bottom, but ex-Liverpool and England midfielder Murphy has backed West Ham to avoid the drop.
“Six of the nine teams in the relegation battle have changed managers,” Murphy wrote in The Mail on Sunday (26 March, page 99). “It has worked so far for Everton and Sean Dyche and Leeds with Javi Gracia, but ultimately I think the clubs who have stuck with their bosses will be rewarded.
“West Ham and Leicester will be fine based on their managers – David Moyes and Brendan Rodgers – and the quality of their squads.”
Too good to go down
The Hammers are flying high in Europe, but fans will ultimately view the season as an absolute disaster if they are relegated from the league, regardless of how they finish in the Europa Conference League.
Relegation to the Championship was so far away from the minds of everyone associated with the club at the beginning of the campaign, with plenty of excitement at West Ham thanks to a handful of new players being brought in, along with their seventh-place finish last season.
But the club have slowly and surely dropped down the table, with their European success offering a brief respite from the struggles.
The Hammers should, however, have more than enough talent to ensure their safety. The club are seemingly too good to go down, and their experienced squad and indeed manager should take it upon themselves to really push away from the bottom three next month.
Injuries have definitely played their part, but that would be no excuse for West Ham playing in the Championship next season.
Appropriately, their first game back after the international break is a home meeting with Southampton, who are currently rock bottom of the table, with three points at the London Stadium the only possible outcome on the road to safety.