Jamie Carragher issues West Ham United sack verdict live on Sky Sports amid David Moyes ‘problem’
Jamie Carragher isn’t surprised that David Moyes’ job is in question at West Ham because his style of play is “a problem”.
The Sky Sports pundit said live on the broadcaster’s pre-match coverage ahead of kick off against Brentford on 26 February that only a team fighting relegation can accept the defensive, reactive tactics that the Scot uses.
He named Premier League and Champions League winners who have all been sacked by Premier League teams already as “better managers than David Moyes [to] lose their jobs on this style” which he thinks is dying out of modern football.
Carragher said: “I think the style’s a problem, I do, I totally get where West Ham supporters are coming from, because I feel now that the style of play that David Moyes plays at West Ham is almost moving out of football.
“We’ve seen better managers than David Moyes lose their jobs on this style. Managers who have won trophies, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Rafa Benitez as well. They’re almost the top managers of this style of play.”
“The reason I accept and I understand, and I’m totally with the West Ham supporters’ frustration, is the football we’re watching now in the Premier League the only way a supporter accepts a team who sits back, play on the counterattack, wait for set pieces is a team fighting relegation.
“West Ham are not a team right now who should be thinking about fighting relegation. You mention the actual spend as well. This is a team with real attacking players so I get the style concept.”
Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte named in David Moyes claim at West Ham
Support for Moyes is largely strong among pundits but Carragher has illustrated the point well as to why the Irons boss has so many detractors despite the successes he has clearly had at the London Stadium.
There is a feeling that he has taken the club as far as he will ever be able to given his philosophy is increasingly out of step with the top flight.
The fact that the likes of Mourinho and Conte have been sacked by both Chelsea and Tottenham in recent memory, having both won the title at Stamford Bridge, arguably negates the view that Moyes should be safe no matter what on the basis of the Europa Conference League win.
There isn’t necessarily a right or wrong answer on what should happen with the manager’s future, but if he is to continue to have the club operating as a bottom-half club punching above their weight rather than a top-half club competing on merit he is bound to remain under pressure from various no matter how good results are.
In other West Ham news, a three-time European league winner is in the frame to replace the Irons boss.
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