CLARETS AND DEJA VU
Setbacks spur on Moyes’ boys
DAVID MOYES says West Ham are in an even worse position now than before their infamous clash with Burnley during his first spell in charge.
Hammers fans invaded the pitch during a 3-0 defeat at London Stadium in March 2018, and despite Moyes guiding them to safety he eventually got the chop.
Now the Scot is back, picking up the pieces from Manuel Pellegrini’s failed reign, with Burnley again the opponents in a make-or-break clash.
Moyes said: “We’re in a similar place. The club has spent a lot of money on improving the squad. But it’s not much different.
“In fact, you could argue the league position we’re in now is more difficult than when I came in before. We have to get to a better place.”
Back then, the Hammers were 16th with 30 points after 29 games. Now they are 16th with 31 points after 33 games, despite spending almost £200m on players.
But just as Moyes used the fall-out from the violent unrest in 2018 to turn things around, he is using a dodgy VAR call to do so this time.
After having a goal controversially ruled out against Chelsea, West Ham used a sense of injustice to win 3-2, and then draw 2-2 at Newcastle.
Moyes said: “If anything, the Burnley game inspired the players. We decided we were not going to let anything affect us. We turned a negative into a positive. It was a bit like VAR the other night. We said, ‘Stuff this, we’re going to have to find another way.’”
Burnley boss Sean Dyche says it’s too expensive to rejuvenate his ageing squad. His last starting line-up against Sheffield United had an average age of 28, with four players 30 or over.
Dyche said: “It’s a really simple situation – very good players who are young cost a lot of money.
“Unless you can bring them through your system, people like Dwight Mcneil and Jay Rodriguez back in the day, then it costs a lot of money.”