West Ham star Angelo Ogbonna has spoken out on David Moyes’ style of play and has called for realism from supporters.
The long-running debate over David Moyes at West Ham could soon come to an end.
But if his successor struggles then it won’t be long until it is reopened with gusto.
Sections of the Hammers fanbase have bickered for and against Moyes for the best part of two years. And it all revolved around style vs substance.
It’s pretty obvious that when the results dry up, Moyes’ risk averse style is there to be shot at.
Well results have certainly dried up in 2024 with West Ham recording only four wins across 22 games in all competitions.
West Ham have also lost the defensive solidity Moyes has always prided himself on. That is illustrated by the fact no team outside the Premier League’s bottom three have conceded more goals than the Hammers this season.
That being said West Ham are eighth in the table going into the last three games. Although unlikely to stay there, Moyes’ side are on course for a midtable finish.
Respectable season still in the offing for West Ham
Coupled with making the Europa League quarter-finals, the season can be deemed a positive one in many respects.
The problem for many of the fans remains, though, the style of play.
Especially when West Ham have proved on several occasions they can a dangerous and exciting watch when Moyes takes the handbrake off.
The contrast between the two was perhaps never more evident than in the two legs against Bayer Leverkusen.
Sky Sports produced a highly-detailed report recently which showed Moyes’ team plays some of the least attractive and exciting football in Europe.
The report was damning and left Moyes nowhere to hide.
But as West Ham go in search of a new manager who fans hope will bring a more attacking philosophy, one player has called for a reality check.
Ogbonna speaks out on Moyes’ style and calls for realism
West Ham star Angelo Ogbonna has spoken out on Moyes’ style of play and called for realism.
In a stern message to supporters, Ogbonna has reminded fans the Hammers are ‘not Man City’.
And he refutes that Moyes sets West Ham up to defend, saying the approach is often dictated by the number of games the team has had to play close together during three consecutive seasons of European football.
“I’m totally against when people say we are a team who just sit back, because we showed we can go on the front foot, we can press them and we can have energy,” Ogbonna told the club’s website.
“Of course, sometimes we run out of energy and, to be honest, it wasn’t easy this year because we played Sunday/Thursday and the time to recover for the lads wasn’t totally easy. Even for the lads who were not playing, to come into the team and try to have the condition to play, it’s not easy, but we will never complain.”
Ogbonna added that he feels criticism of West Ham’s manager over his style is also ‘harsh’.
The veteran defender said he understands as human beings we all want progress. But he warns it cannot be achieved at the click of a finger.
‘We’re not Man City’
“It’s a little bit harsh, saying that West Ham did bad this season,” Ogbonna added.
“We managed to stay up in the table, we nearly beat Bayer Leverkusen, so people need to understand the process and the process has been unbelievable. Of course, expectation is high, but you can’t click your finger and you want to change tomorrow. You need to just respect the process. I think West Ham has been unbelievable in the last three years since COVID and I think you need to give time.
“It’s not easy, the competition standard is high and we’re not Man City. We need to respect that and sometimes people forget who we are, so just respect the process.
“With the changes we made, we are trying to make this club even bigger and then with time and with a process it’s not a rush. We had the transition but the good and the beautiful thing is that we didn’t change our community and that is the best thing.”
Food for thought for us all and the owners ahead of the big decision over Moyes in the coming weeks.