All minds will be concentrating on the Arsenal match this coming Sunday as West Ham would seek to make permanent daylight between themselves and teams beneath them, however they must raise their game to overcome the largely inconsistent Gunners.
The question that circles within the fandoms with unyielding energy is which team lineup will Moyes start with and what will be his strategy going forward for each game. Moyes recently declared that West Ham must not lose any of the remaining matchesā¦but he didnāt actually state that they must win either. So, for all of the worries and the woes, fans can expect nothing more than consolidation and settling for draws, even if mathematically safe this season?
āI used to think as I looked out on the Hollywood night ā there must be thousands of girls sitting alone like me, dreaming of becoming a movie star. But I’m not going to worry about them. I’m dreaming the hardest.ā – Marilyn Monroe
In this statement, Moyes unfortunately sealed his fate with much of the West Ham faithfulā¦and there wasnāt a lot wrong with itā¦but there wasnāt anything good either. West Ham have lacked a sense of urgency for some time and a manager who is a āGo-Getterā. The aim to not lose a match should be a given, the apathy to draw is barely acceptable but each and every fan would, at the very least expect a manager who aims to win every single match without questionā¦and in Moyes that simply isnāt the case!
Fortunately, it appears that the fellow league strugglers are having a torrid time of it so it would mask the lethargic ambitions of the club and the manager. However, Moyes does have the canny ability to pull off some positive results if only he can encourage his players to play on the front foot. These are the games that Moyes can lay down a marker to the owners if he has any desires on the managerās post full time. If he excels, then Iām sure there will be a legion of fans that would welcome him with open arms for at least another season, however they would rather shut the door in his face if he approaches each game negatively.
Many names have already been touted as possible successors to the managerās throne with Rafa Benitez, Marco Silva or even Brendan Rogers as possible targets, however just as likely is for the club to retain Moyesā services for another two year period.
Everyone associated with West Ham have gone through a whirlwind season with many lows and fewer highs however, although the season may be savedā¦it still hasnāt been anywhere near what is should have been and the performances have been largely below par. This has not made the club attractive for fans nor has it appeased the many frustrations from the dissenting crowd.
The owners and the club as a whole now have the opportunity to draw the line in the sand, which has been tainted with mud, and set to work on rebuilding the club from the inside out. There are quantum changes that are required within the scouting and recruitment system, not to mention the attention the squad requires to enable a comfortable top half finish next season. The question now is whether the club merely want more of the sameā¦or are willing to take that ambitious step forward, with or without Moyes!
This summer will be inevitably the deciding actions of the West Ham board, however they must play their cards well otherwise there will be no welcome mat for them at the start of the next season. Whomever they deem an appropriate manager to take the club forward, they must fully support and invest in new transfers to show the fans they have the will and ambition to make good on their promises.Ā
It makes footballing sense and it certainly makes financial sense too! The better the team perform, the higher up the league they will finish, which will make them an even more recognisable brandā¦which is what their ultimate goal has been this whole time. It might even attract the super rich investors who might just make them an offer they canāt refuseā¦wishful thinking?
The West Ham fans will now enter a period of uncertainty until full declarations of intent are made. There will be comings and goings at the club, an acidic circus will ensue and there will be no end of potential candidates to join the Hammersā ranks. However, in the final analysis, all fans want leaders and ambitious warriors at the start of the season. They are looking for straight up stems, not shrinking violets, but this is the magical West Ham roundabout and the choice of the Plain-Janes or the bouncing management daisies!