David Moyes hits back at West Ham fans as pressure mounts on under-fire boss
West Ham boss David Moyes has defended his record at the club after fans called for him to be sacked.
The Hammers lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, extending their winless streak to eight games in all competitions. Despite the current turgid run of form, Moyes reminded fans of his achievements at the London Stadium, including winning the Europa Conference League title last season and regularly challenging the top six in the last three years.
Speaking to reporters after the match at the City Ground, Moyes said: “”I am pretty long in the tooth, you can never please everybody, it would be hard to say there have been many better times at West Ham. Maybe they want something different, but they would honestly have to say it has been the best times they have had at the club with regards winning a European trophy, the league positions.
“Maybe there would be managers who excite them more, possibly, but the one who is sitting here wins more. This year already we have beaten Tottenham, Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, we must not forget there were good times not so long ago. We have not been playing well, but there are some mitigating circumstances since January 1, with boys going to the African Cup of Nations, Jarrod Bowen came back from England with an injury and has not been the same since, we have been without Lucas Paqueta as well for most of the time so there are things that have affected us.”
After a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United and a 6-0 thumping at home to Arsenal, a group of disgruntled supporters unveiled a banner with ‘Moyes out’ written on it during the 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest. But the former Everton and Manchester United boss is well experienced in handling adversity and pointed out the troubles experienced by some of their Premier League counterparts.
He said: “I have seen other teams have similar, Newcastle, Man Utd, Man City before the World Championship, Arsenal over Christmas. There is no divine right that West Ham don’t have a dicky period at some point in the season. We are hoping we can get back on it.”