David Moyes: West Ham Boss Walks Away From London Stadium After Contract Expiry
West Ham United have this afternoon confirmed that their manager of six months David Moyes has left the club after his short-term contract ran out following the conclusion of the 2017/2018 season.
The Scot took over from Slaven Bilic in November 2017 with the club sitting precariously, just above the Premier League relegation zone in 17th place, and managed to guide them away from danger to finish in 13th.
The news comes just days after the Hammers signed off the season with a convincing 3-1 victory over Everton at London Stadium, a game that would ultimately turn out to be the former Manchester United gaffer’s last in East London.
Moyes finished unbeaten in his final three outings in charge, defeating Leicester City, drawing with the Red Devils and then overcoming his former side in the Toffees.
The Irons broke the news that the 55-year-old was not going to be offered a new deal on their official website early Wednesday afternoon with a statement.
Within the release, Joint-Chairman and majority shareholder David Sullivan thanked the experienced manager for his efforts to keep the outfit in England’s Top-Flight and promised a new appointment within ten days, stating the following.
“I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to David Moyes and his staff for achieving the target of keeping West Ham United in the Premier League.
“Throughout his time here, David has carried himself with dignity and honesty and we have all found him to be a pleasure to work with. He, Alan, Stuart and Billy accepted the challenge and attacked it head on, turning around a difficult situation. They deserve great respect for the job they have done and they leave the Club with our best wishes.
“When David and his team arrived, it was the wish of both parties that the focus be only on the six months until the end of the season, at which point a decision would be made with regards to the future. Having taken stock of the situation and reflected now the campaign is complete, we feel that it is right to move in a different direction.
“We are already taking steps to identify and recruit the manager we believe can take West Ham United forward in line with our ambitions. We aim to appoint a high-calibre figure who we feel will lead the Club into an exciting future for our loyal supporters within the next ten days.”
The East Londoners later confirmed that they would be making no further comment until the time of the new boss being confirmed, within the deadline of ten days.
The ex-Everton manager of 11 years had a tough start to life at London stadium, taking over an out-of-form and injury warped team that were hanging above the relegation zone by a thread, losing three of his first four matches against Watford, Leicester City, Everton and Manchester City.
But then, once he had bedded in, Moyes was able to turn the fortunes of the team around, as they embarked on a run of 12 league games with only two losses, which saw them climb the table over the new year.
Highlights of that run included his first victory in Claret & Blue, over Chelsea on home soil and a 1-4 away thrashing of Top-Flight newbies Huddersfield Town, however, an Emirates FA Cup loss to League One Wigan Athletic, coupled with torrid injury luck, saw the Hammers’ form decrease.
The next six PL outings saw four losses that sucked them back into the trouble, while supporters became increasingly unhappy with the club’s board and the players’ performances.
Although, Moyes, once more, steadied the ship enough to ensure the Irons’ survival at the King Power Stadium with eight days of the term to spare, sparking many to believe that he would be given an extension on his six-month contract.
It wasn’t to be though, and Moyes departs, the decision reportedly having mutual aspects to it, along with his backroom team of ex-Hammer Stuart Pearce, and fellow Assistant Managers Alan Irvine and Billy McKinlay.
The trio had been instrumental in helping the man who possesses the shortest stint as permanent boss in Hammers history, to achieve his aims of keeping the club afloat and will be a sad loss for those involved with West Ham.
While many were calling for his departure, members of the Claret & Blue Army were hoping that Moyes could build something similar to the legacy he left at Goodison Park, stabilising the Merseyside team and steering them to regular top-six finishes and UEFA Champions League football.
Everton, ironically Moyes’ last opponents at London Stadium, also got rid of their manager on Wednesday, doing so early in the morning when they disposed of ex-West Ham boss Sam Allardyce, who still had a considerable time left on his contract.
Despite news of Moyes walking away from London Stadium still being hot off the presses, the bookies have already formulated three favourites to become his successor, Shakhtar Donetsk boss Paulo Fonseca, ex-PSG man Unai Emery and current Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez.
