West Ham United relegation verdict shared by Darren Bent live on talkSPORT, ‘not David Moyes’s fault’
Darren Bent has backed under-fire West Ham manager David Moyes amid fears for his future following the 5-1 loss to Newcastle on Wednesday (5 April).
The former Premier League striker instead criticised the West Ham players for their failure to successfully play out from the back.
The Hammers conceded several avoidable goals against the Magpies while trying to build out from the back at the London Stadium.
“If the sides at the bottom feel comfortable playing that way, and they’re coached into doing it, then do it,” Bent said live on talkSPORT. “But just don’t do it for the sake of it. West Ham are there fighting relegation.
“At times I know David Moyes might have a plan in place, play out from the back, and it’s one player’s mistake which breaks down the whole chain, which I understand is not David Moyes’s fault.
“But there are times where you’ve seen teams try and play out from the back, they nearly give it away. They try it again, they nearly get caught. Just mix it up sometimes, go a bit longer.”
Admirable but foolish
There is definitely a debate to be had around the issue of playing out from the back, with many clubs undoubtedly more successful in this area than others.
The likes of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool have almost perfected the practice over the years, with countless hours of training required to reach they level that those two clubs have.
A competent goalkeeper and of course confident defenders is also a major requirement for such a playing style, again something Man City have in abundance, with Liverpool falling short in this department lately.
West Ham are definitely looking more like Liverpool than they are Man City, with Moyes’s side failing massively against Newcastle when trying to build from the back.
Perhaps the talent is there, but the confidence definitely isn’t. It is admirable to keep persisting with the playing style, but it is ultimately foolish in West Ham’s case, as they quickly found out against the Magpies to devastating effect.
While the players must take a lot of the blame, Moyes can also be faulted given he is the one in charge of how they play week in, week out.