Fans were left in disbelief by the actions of David Moyes on the touchline during the West Ham defeat to Forest.
Or should that be inaction as West Ham fell to another loss?
Everton fans bestowed the moniker ‘Dithering Dave’ on David Moyes at Goodison Park. That stuck with the Scot when he dragged his heels over transfers at Man United. And it has followed him to West Ham too.
But it’s not just over his alleged transfer indecision. It’s his in-game substitutions and tactics too.
Football has changed immeasurably over the last 10 years or so.
In a league full of Pep Guardiola disciples, tactical agility is perhaps more important than ever before. Fans left in disbelief by actions of Moyes
But there must still be room for basic common sense and instinct.
And fans were left in disbelief by the actions of Moyes on the touchline during the West Ham defeat to Forest.
Because Dithering Dave dilly dallied over the Kalvin Phillips substitution for 13 minutes (yes THIRTEEN) before his red card in the West Ham defeat at Forest.
Phillips picked up two bookings three minutes apart in the 68th and 71st as his miserable time at the club continued.
But he would not have even been on the pitch for the first one had Moyes not deliberated over bringing on Tomas Soucek for over 10 minutes.
Moyes gestured for Soucek to get ready to come on at the 58 minute mark with the Hammers trailing 1-0.
Inaction Man
But astonishingly Moyes held off on the substitution for 13 minutes and showed no added urgency when Phillips picked up the first booking.
The red card killed the game as a contest for West Ham. And Moyes sent on Maxwel Cornet and Ben Johnson instead.
The Hammers boss then brought Soucek on in the 83rd minute. That’s a full 25 minutes after he was told to get ready to come on.
But it was all too little, too late.
Modern managers must be proactive, sense danger, and be versatile enough to adapt and adjust on the fly.
Basic instinct
This, though, was very basic, rudimentary stuff. And Moyes’ inaction cost his side just as much as Phillips actions.
West Ham needed more attacking threat as they searched for a way back into the game. And Phillips was struggling to make any impact yet again.
But if he should have been subbed before his 68th minute yellow then he certainly should have been replaced straight after it. The fact he wasn’t borders on incompetence.
If the manager is doubting himself to this degree, is it any wonder so many fans are too?
