As the season draws to a close for West Ham, something that has been seemingly happening slowly since about January, knowing who will be in charge at The Hammers next term is still a mystery.
For every passing week that Sam Allardyce’s future is not confirmed, it looks more and more likely he will be ending his tenure in East London. Although ‘Big Sam’ has enjoyed reasonable success at the Boleyn Ground, the vociferous fans have never taken too kindly to him or his perceived style of play. Every time results have gone awry the terraces have voiced their discontent and since the turn of the year results have been poor to say the least.
If Allardyce is to wave arrivederci to West Ham the shortlist for his place in the dugout will no doubt be a long one. However, the man at the top of that list, if reports are to be believed is the Real Sociedad boss David Moyes.
So what are the former Everton and Manchester United boss’ credentials and is he a positive step for The Hammers?
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Until his acrimonious departure, Moyes always enjoyed a good relationship with the Everton fans, something that Allardyce can only dream of. There is no doubt about it, Upton park has never given their current manager a chance and a change may be the best thing to create a genuinely positive atmosphere around the club in their final campaign before their move to the Olympic Stadium.
Although Messrs Sullivan and Gold are always willing to open their chequebook, as shown by their summer spending; Moyes has consistently over a number of years shown that he has the propensity to succeed under measures of financial austerity. He also seems to have that special knack of being able to milk every bit of talent out of even the most mediocre of players.
The main thing that would oppose the Scot taking the big job at Upton Park is that his style is not dissimilar to the one seen at West Ham presently. Moyes is a pragmatist, he likes his teams to play effective, solid football, he plays the percentages and although Everton enjoyed great success under his stewardship, many fans now enjoy the brand of football they are witnessing under Martinez a great deal more.
If West Ham are sick of the style they have been witnessing under Allardyce, a move for Moyes may not be the most universally rejoiced appointment. But he is more than a safe pair of hands and although his experience at United was a chastening one he has now had, albeit brief, experience of football at the very highest level. His time on the continent could also have helped to develop him as a coach and a manager and his experiences since his departure from Goodison could mean he is a completely different one this time around.
Although he is yet to win a major trophy, it should not be forgotten how highly Moyes was rated before his spell at United, six months do not make a bad manager. If he is ready to end his Spanish adventure prematurely, West Ham seem to be the perfect match.
Hopefully West Ham fans will approach his appointment with the positivity it deserves.
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