HiWest Ham United: Paul Ince drops ‘absolute disaster’ verdict amid David Moyes sack talk Paul Ince believes that David Moyes is the right man for the West Ham job despite fans calling for the Scot to be sacked at the London Stadium.
While the former Hammers academy graduate understands some of the frustration surrounding Moyes’ defensive style of play, he cited the “absolute disaster” that Manuel Pelligrini brought to the club.
Pellegrini could not even last two seasons with West Ham having replaced Moyes as manager back in 2018. Moyes has lifted the Europa Conference League with the Hammers since his reappointment.
Speaking live via talkSPORT on Monday (8 April, 5:56pm), Ince said: “I think some just want to see a different style of football. I get it because West Ham have always been a club that prides itself on playing football with players from the academy, Rio [Ferdinand], Frank [Lampard] and I came from there.
“We’ve always had this identity of playing top, top football, attractive football. They tried that when Pellegrini came in – an absolute disaster. Moyes is great at what he does.
“Would you rather be entertained and finish 15th or 16th, and not win a European trophy, or be half-entertained, have a chance of getting into Europe again and winning a European trophy?
Asked by Andy Goldstein whether he should stay, he simply replied: “Correct.”
Does David Moyes deserve more recognition at West Ham United?
For a man who helped lift the club’s first European trophy in decades, it does seem like Moyes is a little underappreciated at the London Stadium.
However, throughout the torrid run of an eight-match consecutive run without a victory at the start of 2024, it was easy to understand why fans were becoming so frustrated with the manager.
With the amount of attacking talent at the club, it is difficult to justify why West Ham play so conservatively and largely on the counterattack, especially against teams where you feel they could press the issue.
West Ham’s eight-match winless streak only came to a half at the end of February, which coincided with Lucas Paqueta’s return from a lengthy injury, beating Brentford 4-2 before beating Everton in the next match.
David Moyes is under pressure at West Ham
Of course, there are plenty of managers who can be linked with the managerial job at the London Stadium, such as former Brighton and Chelsea coach Graham Potter.
But the hope is that some have learned their lesson. The Pellegrini era is not one that many Londoners will want to remember, but it does suggest that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
In other West Ham news, another exit-linked Hammers ace is shocked by the treatment he has received.
