Jamie Carragher makes ‘out of the ordinary’ West Ham United verdict on Sky Sports after David Moyes admission
Jamie Carragher praised the work of David Moyes at West Ham after the Scotsman admitted he is unsure if he would have been sacked if not for last season’s Europa Conference League triumph.
Speaking on Sky Sports on Sunday (22 October) ahead of West Ham’s heavy 4-1 Premier League loss to Aston Villa, Moyes said he “does not know” what would have happened to his job.
However, Carragher does not believe it was fair to judge Moyes on last season’s disappointing Premier League finish alone.
“You’ve got to remember that last season, in terms of the Premier League, was a bit out of the ordinary from what we’ve seen from West Ham in the previous couple of seasons,” he told Sky Sports [23 October, 15:59].
“Before that they were always challenging for European places, getting into Europe. You look at that fantastic run they’re on – 17 games unbeaten in Europe – and I think they’re a template for a team like Aston Villa.”
Loss of form
As disappointing as last season was domestically, with the Hammers recovering to eventually finish 14th in the Premier League, all competitions must be taken into account.
And after ending the club’s 40-plus-year wait for silverware with June’s Europa Conference League final win over Fiorentina, Moyes instantly wrote his name in West Ham folklore.
United carried the momentum from last season into this one, with Moyes proving any lingering doubters wrong, but results have turned a little sour of late.
The loss at Villa Park was West Ham’s third in five top-flight outings, during which time just one win – against Sheffield United – has been picked up.
It is fair to say there will be no repeat of last season’s relegation scrap this time around, but Moyes will know that he cannot afford too many repeats of that performance in the West Midlands.
In other West Ham news, Moyes could face further sack talk after being let down by the club’s board.