OPINION
David Gold and David Sullivan will be very happy if they can paper over the cracks at West Ham by replacing David Moyes with an exciting new manager, but it’s not a long-term fix.
The Daily Mail reported on Thursday that the Hammers were set to make a move for Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez and if he arrives at the London Stadium, success would surely follow.
The experienced Premier League manager has worked miracles at the Magpies and there’s no reason to suggest he has run out of magic.
However there are several frustrations that Moyes suffered from, some of which he publicly spoke out about, and these are issues that Gold and Sullivan shouldn’t be allowed to bury.
The issues will continue to be a ticking time bomb that will undermine any good work the next manager of the club does, and that is a circumstance that cannot play out.
The first issue that needs addressing is a simple one, as the Mail’s report about Benitez revealed that Moyes was left unhappy with the way he was treated and that efforts were made to replace him while still in charge.
While several Premier League clubs are guilty of the latter accusation, the Scottish manager has every right to be unhappy as he did everything that was required of him.
Moyes successfully guided the club away from the relegation zone during the six-months he was in charge and given the fact he was hardly helped in the January transfer window, he should been showered with praise at least by the two co-owners.
However Gold’s statement, via the club’s website, was hardly a glowing thank you letter as the co-owner was too quick to stress about needing a “different direction” and it’s easy to see why Moyes’ nose was put out of joint.
So it’s needs to be said that Gold and Sullivan should at least start treating their managers drastically better, at the very least publicly, as in the case of Moyes especially, he did what they wanted.
Moyes also raised the issue of stories emerging from the Hammers too often as being a problem, as reported by Sky Sports, and this needs to be addressed too.
The Hammers were constantly surrounded by negative stories in the media, with most turning out to be accurate, and it just created a toxic atmosphere among everyone at the London Stadium.
Gold and Sullivan need to tighten the news coming out of the club and try to handle more issues behind closed doors, as that would be in the club’s best interest.
Moyes in the same Sky Sports interview, pointed to the fact the club’s recruitment needed looking at.
This is another ticking time bomb that no manager, no matter the talent could deal with, and the club need to start being more careful with who they sign.
Jordan Hugill’s £10million arrival, according to the BBC, is the perfect example as despite the club splashing the cash on him, the forward made only three brief Premier League appearances before the season ended.
To make matters worse the centre-forward is set to be binned out at the next possible opportunity, as reported by Claret and Hugh,with the forward poised to leave as long as the club received a realistic bid.
Therefore Moyes’ issues with the Hammers must not be buried by Gold and Sullivan, but instead they need to be addressed so they don’t explode in the next manager’s face.
