Are West Ham potentially facing relegation from the Premier League?
West Ham announced on November 7th, less than 24 hours after sacking Slaven Bilic, that David Moyes was the club's new Manager until the end of the season. Moyes jumped onto the Hammer's wagon on an interim deal until the end of the season, with the London club looking for Premier League stability until the end of the current Premier League campaign. Could relegation be on the cards, however? All aboard.
Why do we believe Moyes is a relegation favourite?
Don't get us wrong, we appreciate that Moyes is a well-travelled manager, who brought much stability and mid-table success to an Everton side for well over a decade, but there is a fine line between appreciating a manager who is adorned by some sections of the media - you know, the outlets who are heaping boundless praise and a positive spin on the situation - which is worlds apart of the viewpoint from West Ham fans, who were in uproar over the appointment.
More so after West Ham went down 2-0 to Watford at Vicerage Road during Gameweek 12, with luck abandoning the Hammers yet again this season.
We sit firmly in the camp of wondering why West Ham have appointed Moyes, especially as pressure mounts on Tony Pulis at West Brom, a change that would have been more ideal than chancing Moyes and his 'wealth' of managerial experience, a wealth of coaching experience that has seen him sink to news lows every season, which indicates that the manager who was once heralded as the next Alex Ferguson, could be on his final legs as a manager who refuses anything other than top flight football, having promised to coach Sunderland in the Championship, before quitting days later.
West Ham's defeat at Watford has made us relive our most fond memories of David Moyes, like when he said that Sunderland were in a relegation dogfight after the first three games of the season, and when he verbally assaulted a female journalist, saying that she'd get a slap if she kept asking pressing questions about the Black Cat's eventual relegation.
David Moyes's Managerial Record
Moyes, who started his managerial career at Preston North End, was voted LMA Manager of the Year three times during an 11-year spell at Everton from 2002 to 2013. In 11 full seasons, Everton finished in the top eight nine times under Moyes. The Scot was then appointed Man United manager, before getting the sack less than 10 months into the job. Moyes was then Real Sociedad manager in La Liga, also getting sacked, before leading Sunderland to relegation in the 2016/17 season.
Preston
Games: 234
Wins: 113
Draws: 58
Losses: 63
Win %: 48.29%
Everton
Games: 518
Wins: 218
Draws: 139
Losses: 161
Win %: 42.08%
Man United
Games: 51
Wins: 27
Draws: 9
Losses: 15
Win %: 52.94%
Real Sociedad
Games: 42
Wins: 12
Draws: 15
Losses: 15
Win %: 28.57%
Sunderland
Games: 43
Wins: 8
Draws: 7
Losses: 28
Win %: 18.60%
West Ham
Games: 1
Wins: 0
Draws: 0
Losses: 1
Win %: 0%
Other Factors Facing West Ham
If the 'Moyes Factor' isn't enough to tempt you to think that the club is facing an uphill battle this season, there are other areas to pull some focus to, just so we make it clear that this article isn't solely a sour attempt to poke the bear.
The Board:
How many times do we hear about the clubs board having different interests than the fans at a club? It is happening more and more in football, with a massive disconnect between the 1% at the top of the clubs hierarchy, and everyone else (aka fans treated as customer receipt numbers). West Ham's board (Gold, Sullivan, and Brady), who once brought Birmingham to its knees financially, have done better to steer West Ham in a clear direction, but there is massive concern amongst the loyal Hammers fans that there is a delusion about the club's ambition. Moyes's arrival has done little to appease a group of fans who will not be content in the second tier of English football.
London Stadium:
West Ham's new home has seen just two wins from five matches this season, but fans aren't happy. Upton Park was a social centre for fans, with pubs and meeting areas staggered around each four corners of the ground. Now, West Ham's regulars are further away from their homes, with no social element bonding their fans together before a match. It's been a sobering experience, to say the least, with a visibly empty stadium on most match days when one of the 'Top 6' sides aren't in town.
PL Home Results
West Ham 2-0 Huddersfield
West Ham 2-3 Spurs
West Ham 1-0 Swansea
West Ham 0-3 Brighton
West Ham 1-4 Liverpool
The Promoted Clubs:
Huddersfield, Brighton, and Newcastle, have started the season well, with the trio of clubs all based in mid-table after 12 rounds of matches. There is a genuine possibility that all three of the promoted clubs might stay up, or at least two of the clubs, which means that one to three established Premier League clubs might face the drop.
Brighton, in particular, look an absolute unit of a side that will be very hard to beat this season, whilst Newcastle and Rafa Benitez might have new owners, and healthy capital, to invest in January. Huddersfield are capable of beating Man United, but look the most prone of the three, but could pick up enough results at home to be safe at the end of the season.
West Ham have lost to Brighton and Newcastle this season, whilst beating Huddersfield.
The Fixture List:
You can view West Ham's fixtures above, and it is not easy reading. Leicester travel to the London Stadium next, looking a much better side under Claude Puel, before travelling to Everton, Moyes's old club, who will no doubt want to make Moyes suffer even more.
It's then Man City (A), Chelsea (H), and Arsenal (H) in the next three, and we can't see West Ham picking any points up, which means at the half way stage of the season, it could be a reality that West Ham could have well fewer than 15 points on the board.
West Ham's best run of fixtures is between Gameweek's 22-30, with numerous winnable fixtures, and a January transfer window in place to try and get West Ham up and running.
It's then a tough end to the season, which could see West Ham up against it should they fail to find form between now and February.
The Players:
It was noted by many players that turning up to training at West Ham under Slaven Bilic was like having a bit of a kick about before going home for some lunch. It was light and breezy, whereas Moyes will attempt to drill West Ham into a tightened outfit, but are the players all that?
Often bailed out by magic from Payet and Lanzini, quality has been few and far between this season.
Andre Ayew looks to be a quality addition when on form, but there is a lack of leaders at the back, and West Ham are torn apart in midfield on a weekly basis. They've been bossed, bullied, and ran off the park against all opposition, which is making them easy fodder for organised teams with a bit of quality.
Andy Carroll also highlights their ill-discipline, having been sent off in his last appearance against Burnley, before putting in a similar shift away at Watford, getting booked for pushing Richarlison off the ball.
Form:
Form, what form? David Moyes said that he did not enjoy what he watched in the defeat at Watford, and he shouldn't.
What do you think, are West Ham on the chopping blocks in the Premier League, or will the club pull through and prolong their tenure in England's top division?
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All aboard.
