Well, the season has been saved and all hail the Scotsman for barely getting the job done! Is this what the West Ham fans should be celebrating or should everyone focus on the huge failings this season and look to make reparations come this summer?
The win against Leicester and a decent performance against a poor opposition would ensure survival but certainly would not fill the West Ham souls with confidence for the remaining encounters nor for the next season ahead.
There have been too many failures over the last two seasons and rare highlights to build upon that would fool the masses with more false promises. Everything is out in the open now, everyone is aware and the shackles have been taken off. The owners, the club, the managers and the players have all underperformed and it has rather been a stroke of luck that West Ham have avoided relegation this season as opposed to any method that Moyes would have us believe.
The owners and the club are fully aware of the continuing dissenting voices from within the West Ham world and would readily acknowledge the lack of faith in a manager that has not showered in the brilliant falls or covered himself in glory…and neither have the players. There has been much speculation whether Moyes would remain as manager but daily rumours would suggest that the post is not yet certainly his as there have been many questions over the performances and the style of play in recent weeks especially.
The two remaining fixtures would be the final job interview for the manager, the coaches and the playing staff as the club would seek to end the season on a high…but as Manchester United squared up to the Hammers last night…many of the fans would not feel any confidence in the players, nor the manger to deliver any kind of performance regardless of the result.
Herein lies the problem for both the club and the fans now! All confidence has been lost in all quarters and the fanbase is largely divided in opinions. Some still wish to protest whilst others question the validity of protest until the season has ended and the summer deals have been done. However, this is the final opportunity for the club to make the right choices and get the house finally in order.
There is no going back now but the owners must look to redeem themselves somewhat and the fans must at least acknowledge that the major work required now is in restructuring the club systems and going out in force to bolster the squad with a proper plan. This needs to be accomplished with an active and dynamic manager…is Moyes that man? Perhaps…possibly…but highly improbable!
As the referee blew his whistle to start the match, the faithful would hope that the West Ham players would charge, press and create opportunity to advance…perhaps grab a goal or two, put their goal keeper under increasing pressure and wipe the smiles off of a would be rampant Manchester United team.
However neither team ran riot and neither pierced the net, although both teams had decent opportunities to score. However the game lacked a definitive intensity and urgency although it was mildly entertaining with some pressing from West Ham, some individual elevated displays…such as Zabaleta and some neat passing and improved possession statistics. But in truth neither team needed to win and neither would be ashamed to lose and so it ended being a rather dull affair but at least it wasn’t embarrassingly poor.
The challenge now for whomever is to become the West Ham manager, is to forge a team out of individuals that can and will deliver a performance on a consistent basis and produce a high return of positive results in order to move towards any top eight finish next season. Is this too much to ask for in one season? Perhaps so, but this is what is expected now and the fan’s patience has run dry over the last two seasons.
Every fan wants their players to fight in the mud, be guerrillas in the jungle, be John J. Rambo to never give up and take the war to the ‘King Shit Cops’ They want them to eat the nasty stuff that would make the billy goat puke…but ultimately the players need to be guided in that battle and the question remains whether the club deem Moyes to be that Colonel Trautman who would demand respect and charge his players to attack, entertain and defend to their last breath. Do the fans ask too much? Possibly so, but the club have a huge debt to pay the fans…and right here is where they start paying…in new blood, hard fought sweat and the tears of players shed.