OPINION
If reports on Monday are to be believed, David Moyes’ time as manager of West Ham United has come to an end.
According to Sky Sports, Moyes held talks with the Hammers hierarchy just a day after securing a 13th-place finish in the Premier League table, and is now likely to exit the club.
No further details are given about the discussion held between the two parties, but widespread reports elsewhere seem to corroborate this version of events.
Attentions will now inevitably turn to the Scot’s successor, with several names being put forward by the media including Unai Emery, Manuel Pellegrini, Paulo Fonseca, Marco Silva and Rafa Benitez.
It may be a good few days or even weeks until we find out who will take up the reins at the London Stadium, but there is one thing that is for certain in this situation: owners David Gold and David Sullivan are in last chance saloon.
The two Hammers majority shareholders simply cannot afford to get their next appointment wrong. The consequences would be catastrophic for the club.
Gold and Sullivan have experienced first-hand this season the issues that Irons fans have with the club, and things will only get worse if they take a punt on the wrong man this summer.
The club’s fanbase cannot endure another season in the doldrums, celebrating the avoidance of relegation in the final week or so of the campaign.
West Ham need to be up in the top-half of the table, challenging for domestic honours, and the next appointment will be crucial in helping them realise that.
If they get it wrong, then the trouble seen this season, such as the scenes during the 3-0 defeat to Burnley in March, will merely be repeated, and worse.
Gold and Sullivan will eventually be forced to sell club for their own good, and their supposed dream of leading West Ham to glory will be over.
The next few weeks will therefore be crucial for both the club’s future and their future as well, with Hammers fans sure to not stand for any further failures.
