David Moyes at West Ham: Ex-Man United boss' poor record in focus

Published on: 07 November 2017

The FC crew discuss whether David Moyes is the right man for West Ham. The FC crew discuss whether David Moyes is the right man for West Ham.

West Ham have turned to David Moyes to lift their Premier League fortunes -- but he will also need to turn around his own declining record.

Predecessor Slaven Bilic managed almost a 35 percent win rate in Premier League games with the Hammers, making him statistically their most successful manager in the competition, and it rose to 37.8 percent across all competitions during his spell in charge.

Moyes, by contrast, has won 20 of his last 85 games in management with Sunderland and Real Sociedad. West Ham co-owners David Gold and David Sullivan will be hoping his time at Preston, Everton and Manchester United is more representative.

The rise

The Scot's career began with success in the lower leagues as he led Preston to the third-tier title in 2000, taking them into what is now the Championship before making the playoffs the following season.

It added up to a 48 percent win rate -- 113 in 234 games, 58 draws and 63 defeats -- and earned him his top flight chance when Walter Smith left Goodison Park.

Eleven years at Everton made him the club's longest-serving manager since Harry Catterick in the 1960s and 70s and brought four European campaigns and an FA Cup final.

He maintained a 42 percent win rate in over 500 games -- W218, D139, L161 -- and was selected as the man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United following his compatriot's retirement.

David Moyes' career took a turn for the worse upon accepting the Manchester United job. The fall

While his Old Trafford stint brought him the highest winning percentage of his career, 52.94 percent -- W27, D9, L15 -- that was almost a given considering the resources at his disposal.

More relevant was the club's slide to seventh in the league and Moyes' perceived negative style of play, particularly while rivals Manchester City and Liverpool battled it out for the Premier League title in free-scoring fashion. Moyes was sacked less than a season into a six-year contract and is still searching for the chance to rebuild his reputation.

He started encouragingly in Spain, losing only one of his first eight games with Sociedad with a 1-0 win over Barcelona along the way, but he managed only 12 wins in 42 games (28.6 percent) -- with 15 draws and defeats -- before his reign ended after a year.

Things got even worse at Sunderland with eight wins in 45 matches -- a dismal 18.6 percent with seven draws and 28 losses -- as the club finally succumbed in their annual fight against relegation.

The future

The hope at the London Stadium will be that West Ham can measure up to Everton in terms of stature, given the money and the facilities at their disposal and the talent in their squad.

If so, Moyes will be seeking to produce similar improvements to his time on Merseyside and the gamble could be successful.

If Gold and Sullivan have got it wrong, however, the future looks bleak for both Moyes and West Ham.

null

Comments

Use a Facebook account to add a comment, subject to Facebook's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your Facebook name, photo & other personal information you make public on Facebook will appear with your comment, and may be used on ESPN's media platforms. Learn more.

Source: espn.co.uk

Comments