David Moyes has officially been appointed West Ham United manager.
The former Manchester United, Everton and Sunderland manager replaces Slaven Bilic at the London Stadium, with West Ham in 18th place after 11 games, and just two wins from the opening two months of the season.
The length of Moyes’ contract hasn’t been disclosed, but reports suggest it will be an initial contract until the end of the season, with the possibility of a two-year deal if the club remain in the Premier League. The 54-year-old will have to reverse the considerable slide in his own career if he’s to get the job on a permanent basis.
Will it work? https://t.co/MbRppehhFO
— FootballJOE (@FootballJOE) November 6, 2017
Since leaving Everton, Moyes lasted less than one season of his six-year contract at Old Trafford. He spent a year in Spain with Real Sociedad, before being sacked, and left Sunderland after they were relegated last season. The Scot was once considered a highly promising manager, and remains one of the most experienced managers in the Premier League. However, if it doesn’t go to plan at West Ham, he’s unlikely to get another top-flight job anytime soon, and is probably fortunate to land such a position with the Hammers.
Moyes led Everton to fourth place in 2005, but has never won a trophy as a manager – unless you count the Community Shield.
Moyes’ first game as Manchester United manager was a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the Community Shield at Wembley. However, other than Jose Mourinho, very few people consider it to be an actual trophy, and Man United didn’t exactly hold an open-top bus parade after their victory over the then-FA Cup holders.
Yet, in their statement announcing Moyes’ arrival as manager, West Ham call him “the first Manchester United manager ever to win a trophy in his first season in charge.”
Part of the statement reads:
“Moyes won the Community Shield at Wembley in August – becoming the first Manchester United manager ever to win a trophy in his first season in charge, but left the club after just ten months. In November 2014, he took over at Real Sociedad for a year-long spell in Spain’s La Liga, leading the club to a famous win over Barcelona in January 2015, before returning to the Premier League in the summer of 2016 with Sunderland, where a difficult year ended in relegation last season.”
Mourinho might have something to say about that, as he won the League Cup and the Europa League in his first season at Old Trafford, as well as the Community Shield – which isn’t actually considered to be a trophy. Yet, it’s understandable that the club want to put a positive spin on Moyes’ appointment and focus on his achievements.
