Forum | Non-Football Related

West Ham United were famous for their 'scatter gun' approach to signing strikers before the arrival of Tim Steidten, however his balanced and intuitive approach doesn't seem to have been adopted when it comes to replacing David Moyes!

Instead of the 'Steidten way' of getting things done quickly with the minimum amount of fuss and 'public' sharing, the search for a new manager has become the exact antipathies of the Steidten way.

Majority shareholder David Sullivan has adopted the 'hands on' approach that many people thought and hoped we had seen the last of, with cavalcades of potential suitors travelling to either gnome towers in Theydon Bois or The still unnamed Stadium in Stratford for 'meaningful' and constructive meetings.

Virtually any manager with a pulse has been linked to the club in the last ten days and it is difficult to see any change in the near future. The managerial runners and riders have changed constantly on a daily basis with at least a dozen faces in the frame!

Apparently the emphasis has now shifted back on to Lopetegui who many fans had hoped would be managing in Italy next season, his dour defensive approach making him a Moyes 2:0 but with a foreign accent!

The list is so endless it is perhaps better to list those who aren't in the frame! The club's public flirtation with so many managers has a whiff of the old smoke and mirrors about it that is usually associated with the club around season ticket renewal time.

Don't be surprised if the club announce an extension to incumbent manager Moyes' current contract eventually, something along the lines of "having evaluated all the managers out there we have decided to stick with David Moyes who has brought a sustained level of success and stability to the club since his arrival"

Be careful what you do and don't wish for! - Ed

West Ham: Areola, Coufal, Zouma ©, Ogbonna, Emerson, Álvarez, Souček, Bowen, Paquetá, Kudus, Antonio Subs: Fabiański (GK), Johnson, Cresswell, Casey, Phillips, Ward-Prowse, Cornet, Mubama, Ings.
Liverpool: Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk ©, Quansah, Robertson, Endō, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Elliott, Gakpo, Díaz Subs: Kelleher (GK), Gomez, Tsimikas, Konaté, Bajcetic, Jones, Szoboszlai, Núñez, Salah.

It was all relatively quiet on the West Ham front apart from the post match fall out from the Palace game which essentially kissed goodbye to any hope of another season's European football, save various rumours about David Moyes' contract.

Hey presto, there are suddenly a plethora of Moyes replacement names appearing all over the press! The most high profile of which being Sporting manager Ruben Amorim, he allegedly flew into London for talks regarding him replacing Moyes.

However, reading between the lines it might just have been that he and the missus were offered a private jet flight to London for the day for informal talks and a chance for Mrs Amorin to 'hit' Harrods!

Whatever the reasoning behind the visit, the outcome was a somewhat predictable “Ruben Amorim will not be on the bench for Liverpool or West Ham next season,” no surprise there then, no one really expected him to take up Hammers offer of a job when he had already turned down Liverpool.

Tomas Tuchel and Julen Lopetegui have both featured in the 'leaked' stories that have emanated from the club, which makes the more sceptical of fans wonder if these names have anything to do with season ticket renewals!

The deadline for which has already mysteriously crept from the end of April to the 2nd of June, it appears that the board have genuine fears of a low take up if David Moyes is perceived to be next years manager.

The threat of fans voting with their wallets is all too real and the board look to have taken the only real option they have and that is to NOT renew Moyes' contract, or at least imply it! Smoke and mirrors, now where have we seen that before? - Ed