Last year, thousands of West Ham fans were protesting outside the London Stadium. The main targets were owners David Gold and David Sullivan but many supporters were also disgruntled at the re-hiring of David Moyes as manager. West Ham went into the 2020/21 campaign being tipped for a relegation battle having finished 16th the previous season. It was no surprise that some pundits were even predicting they’d be relegated back to the Championship.
However, how wrong they were. The Irons were the surprise package of the season and Moyes guided the club to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League table. A stunning achievement, made even more so by the fact they finished just two points off the top four. At one stage West Ham fans were dreaming of Champions League football but they had to settle for the Europa League next season.
To finish above the likes of Arsenal, Tottenham, Everton and Wolves is a truly wonderful achievement by Moyes and he perhaps hasn’t been given the recognition he deserves. Pep Guardiola won the LMA Manager of the Season after guiding Man City to the title. But I’d argue that Moyes’ achievement of taking West Ham from 16th to 6th, against all the odds, is far more impressive.
The key now for Moyes is to try and replicate this season’s form next year and make West Ham a regular contender for the European places. Currently, West Ham are the 12/1 eighth favourites to finish in the top four next season. You can check the latest odds using this site link but I wouldn’t be rushing to place any hefty bets just yet.
This summer is going to be pivotal if Moyes wants to take Hammers to the next level. Finishing 6th is great but West Ham now have to deal with European football next season and we’ve seen similar sides struggle in the past trying to juggle domestic and European commitments. Moyes is going to need a much bigger squad to cope with the extras games next year or West Ham are going to feel the effect in the Premier League.
Will the owners back Moyes?
Will Gold and Sullivan back their manager with a sizeable transfer kitty in the summer market? Only time will tell, but if not then I fear the Hammers may be back battling in the bottom half of the table next season. Playing Thursday – Sunday every week will take its toll
on a small squad so it’s vital Moyes is able to bring in reinforcements this summer. He obviously has the basis of a quality squad and West Ham fans will be praying they can take this opportunity to push on and make the club a force again nearer the top half of the table rather than worrying about relegation every year.
The concern will be that the clubs owners may look to cash-in on one or two star players to help raise transfer funds. Declan Rice is the obvious candidate as he’s being linked with a move to Man Utd or Chelsea and West Ham may feel it’s time to sell if an offer worth over
£70m arrives. Moyes could bring in 3-4 quality players with that kind of money. It may make sense from a business perspective. Gold & Sullivan would rather sell Rice than find the £70m themselves for new signings. West Ham’s squad may even be stronger overall, but fans would be gutted to see Rice leave this summer.
It’s certainly going to be an interesting few months and it will be fascinating to see how Moyes does next season after such a sensational 2020/21 campaign. Can he replicate that success next season? We’ll have to wait and see…
Comments
You've said it all for me Nev
Will the dildos give moyes the money to invest in another 3 or 4 players? It possibly will be at the expense of Rice leaving...Johnstone signed as a keeper,Abraham's on loan,Pereira from west Brom,toney from brentford maybe,a couple of decent defenders as well should do the trick
One of the biggest reasons
One of the biggest reasons for Moyes success this season has been the absence of fans from the ground. It is doubtful with a full house whether he would have got away with some of his team selections, tactics and some very questionable substitution decisions this season. It's probably fair to include Tottenham and Arsenal underachieving this season allowing us to finish a couple of places higher too. Selling Rice will not be a good move for the owners and no amount of purchases with his sale money would stop a very toxic atmosphere in the ground with fans (hopefully) being back in attendance. Next seasons Europa league should be treated as an irritating side show with just the fringe players getting their work outs. Better squads than West Hams have struggled with these congested fixtures and my own personal view is, I'd rather see a decent FA Cup run.
Ok so pretty dire end for the
Ok so pretty dire end for the season for you. And any enjoyment gleaned from top 6 is quickly squashed by the problematic Thursday/Sunday schedule. So really no point in trying to finish top 4 or top 6. So say you were the manager lay out your perfect blue print for next season. Go on sell it to me as a punter
Already have
Concentrate on the league, maybe a cup run and treat Europe as a sideshow. Finishing top 4 or 6 is more prize money than 4th from bottom.
But with respect it’s not 1968
But with respect it’s not 1968. The world has moved on. You may like watching Scunthorpe on a rainy night with a cup of bovril others want to go abroad and watch us play Roma and the like.
It's all about priorities
Would I risk a Premier League place for a day against Roma and some obscure foreign team with a name like some Covid vaccine? No.
I think I'm in the camp of
I think I'm in the camp of having no idea what to expect next season. Transfers, no idea what the budget will be. I really cant call what sort of season we'll have...
Brentford promoted!
Probably Toney out of the window now & let's hope Benny doesnt go back too
Really, really, happy for
Really, really, happy for Brentford....!!
I think
we will not do as good as this season but will still finish in the top 8 but we have to keep our powder dry if Moyes buys a player that we as fans think who? why? wtf? you are joking i hope etc etc lets remember who we are and what we are about and not act like big time charlies like that lot with a huge cock on there shirts!
A waiting game
I think we may have to play a waiting game for Lingard. United will ask a silly price this Summer which we should resist. He will go back there and most likely sit on the bench or worse. By next January they will be desperate to offload him before his contract expires next Summer. Hopefully - having had a good experience with us - he would wish to return for a more realistic fee.
Europa Adventure
I think we will need to have a virtual alternative team for the Europa cup comprised of players like Trott, Alves , the General , Winston, Johnson , Coventry , Nobes , Mipo etc. It might be a bit hit and miss but would give the younger players game time and great experience. We might even unearth a jewel.
This window is make or break
This window is make or break for West Ham. Quantity over quality? In truth to compete on the Domestic & European fronts with a degree of success we need around 6-8 players to give us the depth. But we also need quality. I believe we need 2 strikers, central midfielder, left back, centre back & goal keeper absolute bare minimum. This is just 6 at an average £20m that's £120m! Is that going to be made available or will the board edge with an air of caution? I would rather they spent nothing than buy the usual journeyman trash we have signed in the past.