Evolving Hammers vindicate second chance for Moyes
DAVID MOYES has revealed he burned with desire to show he was the right man for the job when he arrived back at West Ham a year ago.
And as Moyes prepares for the visit to former club Everton tonight, the Scot feels he has made real progress with the Hammers lying 10th.
When he was appointed Hammers manager for the second time on December 29 last year, they were 17th, just a point above the relegation zone.
He steered them clear of trouble and the progress has been clear this term.
But Moyes, 57, felt he had something to prove after his first stint at West Ham in 2017- 18 saw him once again keep the club out of relegation danger, only to not be offered a new contract.
He said: “I wanted to show I was the right man to do the job. The biggest pleasure is to see how the team has evolved.
“We’ve got an atmosphere at the training ground now I haven’t seen before.
“The job to stay in the Premier League felt much harder this time. But from that to build anything up gave me a lot of pleasure.” Moyes spent 11 years at Goodison Park in a stint that saw one fourth- placed finish, four European campaigns and an FA Cup final appearance in 2009.
He said: “I do get a tingle when I go back.”
Jordan Pickford will continue to face stiff competition for his No1 spot as Everton prepare to sign Robin Olsen permanently.
On loan with the Toffees for the season from Roma, Olsen has started three times as Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti rested England star Pickford.
Ancelotti said: “He is a goalkeeper with experience so I think we are going to talk with him and his agent to find a solution for him to be here permanently.”
WEST HAM ( probable): Fabianski; Coufal, Balbuena, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice; Bowen, Soucek, Lanzini, Fornals;
Haller.