An exotic cultural antagonist’ Guardian journalist rips David Moyes possession stats to shreds
David Moyes has been absolutely hammered by a Guardian journalist for the possession stats his West Ham United team have recorded this season.
West Ham are the antithesis of a possession-based team under the guidance of David Moyes, and we have been for quite some time now.
However, the problem the Hammers boss has now is that he actually has the players capable of keeping hold of the ball.
The Scot has an incredible group of players at his disposal including the likes of Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen, yet he still has the mentality that he’s managing ‘little old West Ham’.
Moyes really doesn’t need to set up his team in a passive, counter attacking manner…but he still does of course.
The football implemented by Moyes at the London Stadium is a common source of debate amongst the West Ham fans. Is the be all and end all purely just results? Or is football a form of art that needs to be approached with more of an imaginative and creative mind?
The Guardian have made their position very clear on the matter it seems…
Guardian journalist rips David Moyes possession stats to shreds
The Guardian journalist Barney Ronay labelled Moyes as ‘an exotic cultural antagonist’, and absolutely ripped into Moyes and the way that the Scot approaches the game.
Ronay said:
“Moyes is basically the last of the anti-possession men, the only current manager to take an active decision to have less, not more, of the ball.”
“West Ham are seventh bottom in Europe’s top five leagues on possession percentage this season, and the only team in that company for whom this is a deliberate choice. The only team to have translated so little of the ball into so many points, to remain unexceptional on every metric apart from clearances and goals from set pieces.”
I have to say, Ronay is bang on the money here. It’s the kind of piece that will infuriate Moyes, if he ever reads it.
The Scot is extremely bullish about his playing style, and often defends his footballing philosophy with a certain fierceness that you would your own child if someone dared criticise them.
However, the possession stats that West Ham have recorded this season are quite simply unacceptable, given the quality of players David Moyes has at his disposal.
I just can’t see Moyes, or his footballing style, taking us on to the next level. Whether he’s ready to evolve into a more forward-thinking, progressive manager remains to be seen, but I highly doubt it. He’s too long in the tooth now.
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