Great names available as David Moyes lucky not to be sacked by West Ham United – Pundit
Former West Ham United defender Julian Faubert has claimed David Moyes is lucky not to have been sacked after the club’s poor Premier League form, and there are some “great names” ready to replace him.
Moyes once again eased calls for his sacking with a scrappy if unspectacular 1-0 win against Fulham on Saturday (8 April) that took the Hammers up to 14th in the Premier League table and three points clear of the relegation places.
And Faubert, speaking to Football.London [13 April], said the former Everton and Manchester United boss is lucky to still be in a job after club’s around them in the table made sudden managerial changes.
Faubert also claimed that the recently sacked Brendan Rodgers and Graham Potter are the ideal candidates to lead the club forward after Moyes.
He said: “David Moyes is lucky to still be in charge of West Ham, if I’m honest… especially when you look at how many managers have been sacked in the Premier League this season, and the performances we’ve seen from his team over the last few months. I was surprised when I saw on the news that he still has the backing of the board.
“I’ve said it before; I hope they don’t make the same mistake as they did when they appointed Avram Grant. As far as the next replacement goes, I’d like to see someone come in who is already associated with the club in some way. There are some great names out there, the likes of Graham Potter and Brendan Rodgers would obviously be linked if Moyes was to leave any time soon.
“Of the names that are out there now, though, I’d like Rodgers. I like what he brings to a team and I could see him being a good fit. I don’t see them going for a foreign manager – unless it was me. I think they need to stick with a British guy, someone who understands the identity of the club.”
Very lucky
You can certainly argue that Moyes is incredibly fortunate to still be in a job after the club’s disastrous Premier League campaign and while the board’s continued backing of the former Manchester United manager is rather baffling, it’s clear they didn’t want to jump the gun because there were no viable replacements to take over so soon.
However, that picture has dramatically changed now, given the situations of both Rodgers and Potter after their sackings by Leicester City and Chelsea respectively.
The East Londoners have been dreadful this season, which is made all the more disappointing considering the amount of quality they possess and the amount of money spent last summer [The Athletic, 1 September]. Moyes has certainly taken West Ham United as far as he can go and has once again proved that he can’t lead a club brimming with talent as he showed at Old Trafford when replacing Sir Alex Ferguson.
Club chairman David Sullivan will be incredibly tempted by Rodgers and Potter’s availability given both candidates possess the managerial qualities and progressive styles needed to drag the club back to where they belong in the long term.
However, West Ham United will not be able to acquire such attractive names if they fail to secure their Premier League status this season. Their English top-flight status remains of pivotal importance if they are to make the required improvements this summer.