Do You Believe In David Moyes?

This image is a derivative of West Ham London Stadium Tour by Louis (CC BY 2.0)

"I believe in David Moyes."

Those were the words of former Arsenal and England defender Martin Keown following the December 2019 announcement that the former Everton manager would be making a return to West Ham for a second spell in charge.

It’s fair to say that at the time, Keown was probably in the minority. 

The reaction that the club had turned to Moyes a little over a year after unceremoniously giving him the boot as a thank you for guiding them to safety ranged from downright despair to open ridicule, but since making his return to the London Stadium, the Scot has worked wonders. 

And in a world where modern coaches are always looking for the latest tactical breakthrough or innovation to help set them apart from their rivals, Moyes has found his success by going back to basics.

Gone are the flashy, all style, little substance signings of his predecessors and in their place he’s assembled a side that personifies a footballing philosophy built on the solid foundations of physicality, discipline, work ethic and selflessness. It's a big reason why they're 4th on the table and boast the 4th best goal difference in the league, and a big reason why they're a 28.7% chance of playing in the UCL next season according to Stats Insider's future's model. 

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Moyes’ team of “Big Lads”, as TIFO’s JJ Bull so succinctly puts it, have become a devastating counter attacking team, utilising their physical presence and aerial dominance in defence and midfield to soak up pressure, before hitting teams on the break, so far scoring an EPL-high 4 counter-attack goals this campaign. 

At the heart of everything, the glue holding it all together, is 22 year old academy graduate, Declan Rice. 

The former centre back has continued his evolution, breaking the shackles of the holding anchor role to re-invent himself as a marauding box to box midfielder in Moyes’ new look Irons. 

Rice leads his side in passes (821), tackles (37) and interceptions (30), while offensively he has drastically improved as a ball carrier. His average progressive carrying distance of 153.9 yards per 90 puts him in the top 90th percentile of Premier League midfielders this season. 

His midfield partner, the192cm Tomáš Souček, also has plenty to offer at both ends of the pitch. Defensively he has made 43 clearances so far this season, he can break up play with his tackles (34) and interceptions (20), and utilises his height to dominate in the air, leading the team with his 43 aerial battles won, while also chipping in with a couple of goals too.

On the wing, Jarrod Bowen is almost the living, breathing embodiment of the step up the Hammers have made.  

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Bowen initially broke through in the lower echelons of the English footballing pyramid, playing for local side Hereford United before getting his ‘big break’ at Hull City. The wide midfielder was brought in by Moyes from the then Championship side after scoring 54 goals in 131 appearances in all competitions for the Tigers. 

He has ability to run at pace with the ball at his feet, likes to cut inside from the wing either to shoot with his favoured left foot, or to create space for the overlapping full back to stay wide and put crosses in to the box for the likes of Antonio, fellow winger Saïd Benrahma (who drifts in from the opposing flank) or an on-rushing Souček to get on the end of. He also works hard out of possession, a must for any player in a Moyes team.

The fact that he was so close to falling through the cracks as a youngster makes his performances, like the one he had in the 3-2 win over Chelsea last weekend, all the more impressive.

While Rice’s move from young defender to star midfielder and Bowen’s journey from failed academy trials to one of the league’s most in form attacking talents are undoubtedly impressive, few re-inventions come as drastic as the one Michail Antonio has made during his time in claret and blue. 

The Jamaican international has been forced to play the role of the ultimate utility man since arriving at club, slotting in wherever he was needed to plug a gap in every fathomable position from right back to left winger. 

But having spent six years proving his adaptability, honing his craft and developing the range of skills required to play such varied roles across the football field, it is little wonder that the latest evolution of Michail Antonio has emerged, like a Pokémon reaching it’s final evolution, as a truly elite level complete centre forward. 

His physical presence, his pace and dribbling ability, his seemingly boundless energy, and increasingly the killer instinct of a true ‘fox in the box’ forward have seen him surpass the likes of John Hartson, Trevor Sinclair and fiery club legend Paolo Di Canio to become the Hammers’ all time leading goal scorer in the Premier League. 

Antonio has already bagged six league goals this season and set up a further four for his team-mates (topping the goal scoring and assist charts), but even when he’s not directly involved in finding the back of the net, he remains a nightmare for opposition defenders; occupying men with his intelligent runs or holding up play to create space for others to capitalise on, as he demonstrated so perfectly for Arthur Masuaka’s cross slash shot winner on the weekend. 

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Re-invention is the recurring theme of this story. 

Like an old fashioned drill sergeant, Moyes has come in and turned a bloated, over paid and underperforming team into a well drilled team who will give everything for each other, the club and the fans. 

He has re-invented West Ham from relegation favourites to real contenders at the top of the Premier League ladder.

And in doing so he has re-invented himself; From the man who failed to follow in Fergie’s shadow to once again, one of the English top flight’s most well regarded coaches linked with some of the games’ most desirable jobs.

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