And the new manager is
To no one’s surprise, West Ham’s indecision is definitive. Or is that just David Sullivan’s indecision?
After months of hate-fueled, violent, hateful, and venomous vitriol directed at David Moyes by individuals who claim to have the ear of the club’s hierarchy, it appears like Moyes will leave in the summer when his contract expires.
The bottom line is that when it comes to changing managers in February, you simply walk into a long line of football’s unemployed coaches who have been fired by Premier League clubs, has-beens filling their bank accounts in the desert, or unlikely candidates from home and abroad who have no experience at our level.
Alternatively, Jose Mourinho will cost you a lot of money. And we all know what Sullivan and his board believe on the matter.
So, following Arsenal’s calamity and Nottingham Forest’s terrifying failure, when the naïve expected the manager to be terminated in the tunnel (or was it the toilet in Avram Grant’s case?) Moyes will confront 60,000 Brentford fans on Monday.
As lame ducks go, our statistically best-ever Premier League manager is currently as lame as it gets. And I am not sure he deserves that. Is he there because Sullivan will not pay him or his employees? Is he there because the list of potentials presented to our owner by innumerable agencies is extremely short?
Or is he there because, at this point in the campaign, with so much intrigue and rumors about our ownership, no one wants to rock the boat when there is money to be made?
You hear that Vanessa Gold’s shares are about to be sold. That won’t significantly alter the balance of power, but whoever buys isn’t coming in to just shower Sullivan with cash to pay off obligations, as Daniel Kretinsky discovered.
There should be more investment; some individuals still hope they can get their hands on the stadium, or that Sullivan will eventually search for a way out. Who knows. However, you must consider what will happen to the ownership and future of the London Stadium, which is so closely associated with Boris Johnson’s image, if the government changes.
Moyes and the club were in talks about his future before Christmas, as one might assume given that his contract expires in June. Those discussions would have considered his body of work over the previous four years, the club’s near-establishment in the top half of the Premier League, and the European title won.
The massive inflow of funds into the club’s coffers as a result of all of this, as well as the 24th position in the European coefficient after many years in the wilderness of the 100s.
From the outside, Moyes’ case appeared solid, despite the long debate over his style of play and the abuse he receives from some quarters, who attack his personality, character, professional ability, and even his religious beliefs – I still can’t wrap my head around that disgusting level of attack.
