Oliver Holt reacts to David Moyes sack decision at West Ham United with new message
Oliver Holt has praised David Sullivan and Karen Brady for holding their nerve and refusing to sack David Moyes as West Ham United manager when he was under pressure earlier in the season.
At points in the season, the Scottish manager was just one game away from being dismissed, with the crunch clash against Frank Lampard’s Everton in January, which he eventually came through unscathed, dubbed ‘El Sackico’.
Writing in the Daily Mail [13 June, page 63], Holt admitted that the club’s owners were rewarded for their trust by winning the Europa Conference League with Moyes at the helm – the club’s first piece of silverware since 1980.
He wrote: “I have aimed plenty of criticism at David Sullivan and Karren Brady over the years for their stewardship of West Ham, so it is only fair to give them plenty of credit this week.
“In the febrile world of the Premier League, there is a multitude of owners who would have done the stupid thing and fired David Moyes earlier in the season. They didn’t do that, they held their nerve.
“They did the smart thing and stuck with their manager and were rewarded with one of the greatest nights in the club’s history when their team beat Fiorentina 2-1 to win the Europa Conference League final in Prague.”
Great decision
Although many portions of the West Ham United fanbase were calling for Moyes’ head when the club were edging closer and closer to the Premier League relegation zone, the stable leadership of Brady and Sullivan was imperative to things remaining stable at the London Stadium.
A league finish of 14th with just 40 points still isn’t good enough for the Hammers, but the European trophy wipes all sins from the season.
West Ham supporters won’t experience a night like possibly for many years, and this was all down to Moyes’ cool head and brilliant managerial nous.
Over the course of the season, the 60-year-old had to juggle the added element of European football on Thursday evenings, ending up playing an extra 15 games on top of their already packed domestic schedule.
And with European football now booked for a third successive season, Moyes can see 2022/23 as a job well done – even if he did have to rely on the owner’s goodwill to remain in the London Stadium dugout at points.