The game no one can afford to lose

Moyes sparked hope of European glory but now West Ham are in freefall

DAVID MOYES has given some supporters the times of their lives following West Ham United.

He also has his fans among the club’s hierarchy. Moyes has earned their trust, has credit in the bank and, in an ideal world, some would like to give him more time to halt West Ham’s slide.

‘There’s a board there who is very trusting of their manager,’ insisted Moyes yesterday, before pointing out that he had brought European football to the London Stadium, as co- owner David Sullivan wanted, and he is not fearing for his job.

‘They are very much in the mindset that what we have done in the past three years has been good and let’s see if we can get back to doing it again.’

Yet, here we are with Moyes on the brink. In this results business, Moyes and third-bottom West Ham have not been able to keep the good ones coming. The expectation now is that defeat by his former club Everton today and that could be that.

It is a scenario few could have predicted just nine months ago when the Hammers — led by captain Declan Rice (below) — were contesting a Europa League

semi-final, on the way to finishing seventh to earn another year in Europe after finishing sixth the previous season.

Stelios Kyriacou, 60, a seasonticket holder who runs YouTube channel West Ham Voice, told Sportsmail: ‘I’m an old fan and never thought we’d get back into Europe again or even win a trophy and when we got to the semi-finals we were asking ourselves, “Is this really happening?” We’ve been pinching ourselves.’

West Ham legend Tony Gale thinks Moyes should be backed not barracked. ‘I couldn’t be any more vocal in championing David Moyes,’ he told us, ‘ because he has been brilliant for West Ham with what he has done for the club in the last two seasons — the European excursions, turning the whole club around completely, bringing the whole football club together, because there was a little bit of discord with the fans.’

Why that positive trend has not continued has sparked much discussion. ‘From the outside looking in, this season it seems to lack the intensity of the last couple of seasons,’ said Gale. On the BBC’S The Footballer’s Football Podcast, striker Michail Antonio explained how their lofty finishes made them raise their target from survival to the Champions League. ‘We’re trying to transition to become a bigger team and, I’ve got to be honest, it ain’t working.’

Antonio is not alone in thinking the attempted changes are a big factor in West Ham’s difficulties. They have included a shift in the profile of transfer target. Some of those who arrived in last summer’s £160million spree are undoubtedly good players but also differ in style to those previously targeted.

There is a theory held by some at West Ham that Lucas Paqueta might have been a better fit for some of his big-name suitors rather than them.

Similarly the striker Gianluca Scamacca. His qualities might suit the possession-based team West Ham hoped to become more than the counter-attacking one they successfully were. In that context, Danny Ings’ £15m arrival from Aston Villa makes sense.

While Paqueta and Scamacca were not West Ham’s only signings last summer, as the two biggest, the fact they have not been transformative has hit Moyes’s plans.

‘We tried to break it a little bit in the summer, move it on to another level,’ he said. ‘When you do attempt something like that there is always a chance you can find difficulty.’

The transformations of players such as Fabian Schar, Miguel Almiron and Joelinton at Newcastle, he explained, have given Moyes reason to be hopeful. Sometimes players just need time, he argued.

As for Lampard, he refused to blame Everton’s failure to sign a striker for his job being on the line. Lampard wanted to sign Ings but Everton’s request for a loan was rebuffed by Villa, who were only interested in a sale. That Ings will make his debut for West Ham this afternoon is a bitter irony not lost on the manager but he will not publicly complain.

‘I’ve given it everything I can and it’s not one for me to analyse all the circumstances,’ said Lampard. ‘I’ve been given an opportunity to work at a great club.

‘I also had an understanding of what the job was, the size of the club and all the positive things and then some things that were maybe going to be taxing. I don’t want to afford blame anywhere else.’

Moyes, who has saved West Ham from relegation twice, added defiantly: ‘Let me tell you, my plan when I came to West Ham was never to be in this position. It is still my plan but I’ve got myself in it and now I have to get myself out of it.’ Lampard could say the same.