Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer gush over David Moyes in ‘strange’ West Ham United verdict
West Ham were beaten 6-0 by Arsenal at the London Stadium on 11 February, but that hasn’t stopped Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer’s high praise of David Moyes despite mounting pressure on his position.
Lineker branded the result a “shambles” but the pair urged West Ham fans to put it to one side and look at the bigger picture of their league position and the success of last season.
Shearer even went as far as to tell the fans to be careful what they wish for, doubling down on his claims that he remains fully behind Moyes despite the dip in form in recent weeks.
Speaking on The Rest Is Football podcast [12 February], Lineker gushed: “It seems like the West Ham fans have a sort of love/hate relationship with David Moyes.
“You have to say he’s done a brilliant job in his two spells. [They’ve had] a bit of a dip recently, it was a bit of a shambles yesterday, he’s only got a few months left on his contract. It’s a strange old situation at the Hammers.”
Shearer then chipped in: “Better the devil you know, I think. Be careful what you wish for. They’ll be hurting for a while after that performance and result, there’ll be a lot of anger around, but as hard as it will be, try and look at the bigger picture with West Ham.
“They’re in eighth position, they got that trophy. I’m not sure they could go any higher than where they are. I’m a fan. I know people will argue against him but I like David Moyes.
“He’s shown a great character, he’s been around the block and he knows what he’s doing. I think they can park that result to one side and try to look at the bigger picture there. I’m all for David Moyes.”
Should David Moyes be let go by West Ham?
The question will always linger until a decision is made one way or the other, but with contract talks having been delayed and the general outcry from fans following the game, his position looks less than secure.
While both of the pundits’ verdicts seem questionable given the nature of the recent results, perhaps they do have a point. The situation is far from a strange one, let’s be clear, it’s understandable, but it’s fair to say overall Moyes has been a success in East London.
The UEFA Conference League victory last season will live long in the memories and earned Moyes a huge amount of credit, but that credit is quickly starting to run out.
West Ham are without a Premier League win in 2024. They have conceded 12 goals in their last four games, despite playing what should be considered a more defensive brand of football, and were knocked out of the FA Cup by a Championship side.
In other West Ham news, Dermot Gallagher reacted to a situation v Arsenal live on Sky Sports.
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