It is obvious: David Moyes insists West Ham job uncertainty not behind poor run
Hammers struggling in defence and attack ahead of Nottingham Forest clash
David Moyes insists uncertainty over his West Ham future is not to blame for his team’s dreadful run of recent form.
The Hammers travel to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday, looking to put an end to their winless start to 2024 at the eighth attempt.
The downturn has prompted fresh doubts over Moyes’s future, with the Scot’s contract up at the end of the season and the club’s board keen to see how the Irons arrest their current slump before committing to a new deal.
Speaking in December, Moyes warned a lack of clarity heading into the second half of the campaign could prove a distraction to his players, but ahead of the trip to the City Ground, the 60-year-old insisted that has not been the case.
“I’ve got such a good relationship with the players and get on so well with them and been around with them for a while,” he said. “I’ve not brought them all into the club but I’ve brought a good amount in. I’ve got a good relationship with them all and there’s nothing in that.
“If I thought there was any way it was affecting them I would soon make sure it was sorted.”
Moyes was left furious by his side’s display in their 6-0 thrashing at home to Arsenal on Sunday, which came on the heels of a 3-0 reverse at Manchester United the previous week.
Fan dissent towards Moyes tends to centre on concerns about what is perceived as an overly-cautious style of play, with some supporters calling for a more progressive manager to be installed in the summer.
However, having seen his team concede nine times in their last two League matches, Moyes admitted it is their uncharacteristic vulnerability at the back that is giving him most cause for concern.
“I’ve been really disappointed with it,” he said. “Defensively we’ve not been as strong as my teams have been used to.
West Ham still without injured Paqueta for Nottingham Forest trip
“I’ll always take responsibility but there is a bit of responsibility that goes where [the players] need to stand up and be counted.”
The Hammers have also scored only three times in their last five matches, though they have been without key forwards Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and Michail Antonio for some or all of that time.
“Conceding those goals is something we don’t do,” Moyes continued. “Normally we’re one of the teams with a good defensive record and maybe not scoring so many goals. During the opening part of the season we scored quite a lot of goals, scored in most games and we were looking likely.
“There are reasons why our goals have dried up but it shouldn’t have affected us defensively. We should still have had the steel to make sure we were at least keeping clean sheets or fighting for narrow draws.”
