The future of David Moyes at West Ham is a matter of opinion for some supporters, who value style above results above all else.
Although David Moyes has done a fantastic job at West Ham United overall, the underlying statistics may help to explain why some fans lose patience with the team so fast when things don’t go their way.
An outburst of frustration that had been building toward David Moyes for some time was triggered by West Ham’s 6-0 loss to Arsenal. Perhaps it had been there all along. However, this seemed to be the end to some supporters. It had to end.
The emotions would be heightened by any six-goal thrashing. However, many outside observers find it difficult to understand the broader dissatisfaction with a manager who ended the team’s 58-year drought for a European trophy in May. After all, West Ham sits ninth in the Premier League standings.
Moyes uttered the words, “Let us be fair,” following the loss. “This has been the best period of time West Ham has ever had during the last three years. Despite finishing sixth and seventh in the league, making it to the Europa League semifinals, and winning a European Cup competition, I believe this team has improved.”
There are many people who are eager to make it for him, and he has a point. When you stand back, West Ham is not a crisis club. The much-desired prize has arrived, yet they continue to sit above purportedly more upwardly-mobile clubs in the Premier League standings.
While it is simple to advise West Ham fans to be cautious about their wishes, it is undoubtedly more intriguing to find out why they are making those wishes. What is it about Moyes and the football team that isn’t inspiring the same excitement or hope as elsewhere?
The style question has dogged Moyes. Words like cautious and negative have become staples of phone-ins and forums. Not expansive enough. Not ambitious enough. But what does this mean?
A look at the underlying numbers provides some insight. There are statistics that suggest West Ham do things differently to other teams – and very differently to other teams with their budget and aspirations. Moyes’ team do not press as much as the rest.
Opta defines a pressed sequence as a passage of play starting in the opposition’s defensive third where that team makes three or fewer passes and the sequence ends in their own half. West Ham have the fewest in the Premier League. Liverpool have the most.
The PPDA numbers tell a similar story. These calculate the number of opposition passes allowed per defensive action, essentially measuring how passive a team is when out of possession. Only Nottingham Forest allow more. Liverpool allow the fewest.
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