Moyes on borrowed time and it will be curtains for him if it goes wrong against Everton
EL Sackico. Dismissal Derby. Call this Saturday’s London Stadium showdown whatever you want. For David Moyes and Frank Lampard, West Ham v Everton means more than whatever silly tagline we could conjure up. It is set to be a match which decides their managerial fate.
The disclaimer is this depends on Moyes and Lampard not being sacked before then, a real possibility after their dismal Saturdays which only dragged both closer to the drop and chop.
Moyes oversaw a damaging defeat at Molineux, losing to a relegation rival in Wolves, who now sit 16th amid a respectable resurgence under Premier League newcomer Julen Lopetegui.
When Moyes walked towards the away end at full-time to thank the fans for making their 300-mile, six- hour round trip, even he might have wondered if this was goodbye. If so, you imagine the sea of V-signs would have spoiled any sentimentality he might have taken from the moment.
Most supporters want to see the back of Moyes, but for now he remains West Ham manager.
The board have refused to budge on their support of the 59-year-old Scot in his second spell in charge of the club. When a few contacts did not respond to enquiries on Saturday evening, you wondered if something was afoot. Insiders say they have been looking at coaches out of work as ‘ just in case’ options, including Thomas Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino.
But Moyes remains in charge and confident he can resurrect this club, starting with a win over Lampard’s Everton. West Ham have not won in the league since October 24, losing six of their last seven games and drawing the other at Leeds. It is not the first time they have gone on a winless run lasting seven Premier League matches or more. It has happened 18 times this century, under Gianfranco Zola, Sam Allardyce, Slaven Bilic, Manuel Pellegrini and more.
Yet a single point from seven games is their worst run since 2010-11 and West Ham supporters need no reminding of that season. That was the Avram Grant season. That was the season they finished 20th, relegated after a 3-2 loss at Wigan.
Grant was sacked in the DW Stadium tunnel and, according to those who played that day, told to find his own way home.
Scott Parker ended up defying orders and sympathetically telling Grant to travel home on the bus with the team he no longer managed.
Moyes will not get the tunnel treatment. He and owner David Sullivan have a good working relationship, speaking either on the phone or in person after every game, win, draw or lose.
West Ham are thankful to Moyes for two seasons in which the consensus is he over-achieved, finishing sixth and seventh in the Premier League and reaching the Europa League semi-finals.
But even Moyes knows he is on borrowed time and if it all goes wrong against Everton, it will be curtains for him. London Stadium security officials will already be aware the atmosphere would risk turning as toxic as that Burnley defeat in March 2018, when one pitch invader planted a corner flag in the centre circle.
‘I’m not stupid,’ Moyes said after the loss to Wolves. ‘When you’re in this industry, you’ve got to win games and I’m not winning enough games. I would never look at myself and say, “I’ve got credit in the bank”. I know you have to earn the right to be in football management.’
While West Ham are on a downward spiral, Wolves are on the up. Daniel Podence’s finishing touch after a speedy counterattack ensured they moved out of the relegation zone.
Lopetegui punched the air at full-time and who could blame him? He has led Wolves out of the bottom three and reunited the fanbase, who sang his name on repeat at Molineux. The mood is in stark contrast to West Ham.
It did not help that the Hammers were missing Craig Dawson, who is the subject of a bid from Wolves. Moyes found the timing fishy, feeling he could not use the central defender against a club he may soon sign for.
But Moyes said he is not an ‘excusey guy’ searching for reasons why his side are struggling. To his credit, he accepts he is not performing well enough right now.
The Europa Conference League’s round of 16, set for March, seems a lifetime away for West Ham.
Moyes can only hope he is still in charge by the time that European jaunt rolls round, but for now, he cannot look beyond the visit of his former club Everton.
WOLVES (4-3-3): Sa 7; Semedo 7, Collins 7, Kilman 7, Bueno 7 (Toti 83min); Nunes 7, Neves 7.5, Moutinho 7 (Lemina 73, 6); Hwang Hee-chan 7 (Traore 73, 6), Cunha 7.5 (Jimenez 64, 6), PODENCE 8 (Ait-Nouri 64, 6). Scorer: Podence 48.
Manager: Julen Lopetegui 7.
WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Fabianski 6; Coufal 5.5, Ogbonna 5.5, Aguerd 6, Cresswell 5.5; Rice 6, Soucek 5.5 (Benrahma 60, 6); Bowen 5, Paqueta 5, Fornals 5; Antonio 5 (Scamacca 76). Booked: Aguerd, Rice. Manager: David Moyes 5.
Referee: Simon Hooper 6.
Attendance: 31,511.