West Ham United and David Moyes accused of being ‘blind’ to ‘massive danger’ club is in
West Ham United manager David Moyes and his players are “blind” to the fact that they’re in a Premier League relegation dogfight, according to Dean Jones.
It’s been a disappointing season for Moyes’ side who have dramatically underperformed after a rather ambitious 2022 summer transfer window where they spent a whopping £165m [The Athletic, 1 September].
The Hammers currently find themselves in a precarious position in the league table, currently sitting in the drop zone a point from bottom with just 12 games to go, leaving Moyes’ position as boss under increasing scrutiny [Guardian, 20 February]
And former Eurosport journalist Jones has worryingly suggested that he doesn’t believe some of the West Ham squad, including Moyes, will admit they’re in a relegation dogfight.
Speaking to GiveMeSport [24 March], he said: “You have to fear for West Ham a bit because I just don’t understand how they’ve really ended up in this predicament without their manager seeming to accept that they’re in the dogfight.
“He consistently seems like his team is above it. A lot of their team talks like that too. They talk with such positivity, almost like they’re blind to the fact they’re in trouble.
“I think that’s a massive danger – we’ve seen teams do that before and you just can’t do it. They’re third from bottom and one point off the bottom of the league.”
Concerning
This is indeed a worrying claim made by Jones, but one which certainly could hold some truth. It’s totally inconceivable, especially for the Hammers fans to have predicted that their club would be in this position right now, given the amount of money they spent last summer.
The East Londoners have been dreadful this season, which is made all the more disappointing considering the amount of quality they possess. However, no team, no matter their quality is immune from enduring a tough season in the Premier League, and the Irons have certainly suffered from a bit of complacency.
That is a dangerous commodity to have in the English top flight as every one of the 38 games is as hugely pivotal as the next.
Despite the club’s continued backing of Moyes behind the scenes, it is safe to say that his immediate future at the club is in serious peril. West Ham United have certainly declined under his watch, especially in the tactical sense, which has been a huge factor in their current position.
Possessing the likes of Lucas Paqueta and Gianluca Scamacca, adding to the quality already at your disposal, and finding yourselves in a relegation dogfight isn’t good enough and Moyes and his players will certainly have to take a lot of the flack. The club face arguably the most crucial upcoming weeks in their top flight history.