Is David Moyes “The Man” for West Ham?

After the heavy 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool, West Ham United decided that Slaven Bilic would no longer be a part of the club that he once played for. Bilic was fired, and despite the speculation that someone such as Sam Allardyce would come in for the rest of the season, it was David Moyes who was brought in on a six month contract to try and drag West Ham out of the relegation zone.

Some fans saw this coming, as Moyes’ name was thrown into the hat of potential managers in the week leading up to the Liverpool game, but surely he wouldn’t after being dropped by two of his last three clubs, right? Well, the board saw the Scottish native as a man who could pull the club from the depths of despair, calling for the fans to give the new manager their support. By the looks of it, that support will need to be earned.

David Moyes does not have the best record in his last few managerial stints. He was initially sacked by Manchester United, perhaps unfairly, after only ten months on the job. That is the third-shortest reign in the history of the club. In all fairness to Moyes, he had a winning percentage rate of 52%, but the club expected results, and he did not give that to the fans or the board. With claims of disgruntled players and poor tactical decisions, Moyes was out, and the prodigal son in Ryan Giggs took over for the last four games.

His time at Real Sociedad started rather well, with an away draw and a home win within the first few weeks. He even did something that very few managers can say, as he was able to defeat Barcalona. Granted, it was from an own goal, but a win is a win, especially against one of the biggest clubs in the world. That was really his only highlight however, as the results from there on out were almost comparable to that of Gary Neville with Valencia.

Inevitably, that led to the exit of Moyes almost one year exactly from his appointment. His win ratio of 28% did not really leave anything to the imagination, but that looks amazing compared to his time with Sunderland.

Moyes took over Sunderland from Sam Allardyce, and he led the club to their worst start ever in the Premier League, taking only two points from their first ten games in what was a bleak future. His biggest moment was not a win, nor a huge signing that could turn the fortunes of the club around, as it was instead telling a female reporter that she may “get a slap” after an interview.

Moyes received a ‘please explain’ from the FA, and that was just the icing on the cake. Sunderland was relegated for the first time in ten years, and Moyes resigned after the season with a win percentage of 18%, with just eight wins in forty-three games. You can understand the West Ham fans worries, but let’s not forget what he has done prior to the blemishes on his record.

Moyes took Preston North End from near relegation in League Two, known then as Division Two, to the title of the division, and then to the Division One playoffs, eventually losing to Bolton to miss out on promotion to the Premier League. Moyes won close to 50% of his games at both Preston North End and at Everton, where he also got praise from the likes of Alex Ferguson for his accomplishments over the 10+ years reign at Goodison Park. Should the West Ham fans given him a break? Should they hand him that trust?

According to the forums, no. It is very rare to see someone excited, or even remotely pleased that West Ham United appointed Moyes as the man to bring them out of trouble. Add onto the fact that people such as Alan Pardew, Sam Allardyce and Sean Dyche were speculated to have been asked about their availability, and you can see why there are doubts.

However, when one looks at the past record of David Moyes, you can see how good of a manager he can be when there is not a bunch of turmoil that has to cleaned up. Moyes should be given the chance to prove himself in order to get a long-term contract. It is just a matter of whether he can do it at West Ham, or whether his reign in London will be last his last three.