David Moyes column: West Ham players should enjoy it when I am shouting… they should start to worry if I stop

Keep out| Heurelho Gomes saves from Marko Arnautovic, who worked tirelessly against Watford before injury
Clive Rose/Getty Images
David Moyes24 November 2017

You learn a lot about your players when you’re out on the training pitch but you find out a whole lot more when you watch them in a competitive match.

I expect to learn more tonight when we take on Leicester at the London Stadium but at the Watford game, in what was my first as West Ham manager, there was a great deal to absorb.

First of all I saw much of what had been explained to me beforehand. I saw some really good things - and some bad things as well.

Yes, I was disappointed with the overall performance but the main positive, from the post-match analysis, was there was a big increase in the players’ running levels. We exceeded our Premier League passing statistics by a big margin, even though I felt we gave the ball away too cheaply at times.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images
AFP/Getty Images

No one can say that, on distance covered, West Ham were bottom of the Premier League after the weekend and the players can take some pride from that. Marko Arnautovic was a case in point. He recorded by far his best stats so we know he can do it, after some questions were being asked.

When I reflected on the game there were certainly some positives and with more time out on the training pitch, I would hope and expect to see steady improvement and in turn, we can start to turn that into points.

I said after the match that Watford deserved to win and that is true but we had some great chances to score and I would guess that, between now and the end of the season, we might not have too many clearer-cut opportunities than the ones at Vicarage Road.

We had two great first-half chances which fell to Cheikhou Kouyate and Arnautovic while, if you presented Cheikhou with another similar opportunity to the one he had in the second half, it would be harder for him to put it over the crossbar again.

A goal would have completely altered the passage of the game. We were keen not to buckle and lose heavily and I thought the boys stuck to their task.

I didn’t make much of it after the game but we were also without three of our offensive players in Michail Antonio, Andre Ayew and Javier Hernandez. With those three in the team I am certain we would have made even more opportunities to score. We have players who have a record of scoring so I’m sure we will do that. What we have to do, though, is keep making regular chances for those offensive players.

We need to get some of those players back because we have a manic schedule coming up - I believe it’s 11 games in 40 days - and we will need as big a squad as we can, to steer our way through them.

Without Jose Fonte, Sam Byram and James Collins who was back in full training but felt his hamstring this week, we are limited defensively. Ideally we would rotate some players because of niggling injuries or because they’ve dropped in form - but we’re tight in defence at the moment.

With the forward players I believe we have enough to do the job but defensively we’re tight, especially if we pick up more injuries.

We do need them all fit because we are going to use them and while I’m still getting used to them, that’s a good thing because I will have a chance to see how they play.

The feedback from the players after the Watford game was very useful. We went through things on Tuesday morning.

There were probably a dozen or more video clips where we gave away good possession - real opportunities. I’m trying to be truthful with the players but I’m not daft - I know they need their confidence lifted, everyone needs confidence to perform at their best.

The best thing I can say about the players is that they have been really good in training and their attitude has been first class. They’ve taken everything on board and they themselves want the work in training.

I always say to the players that “when I’m shouting, you should be enjoying it. It’s when I stop shouting that you know I’ve given up on you”.

We’re encouraging the players because we believe in them and we want them to rediscover their best form. On the injuries, we have three players back in training in Antonio, Ayew and Arnautovic.

Of the three, Michail has been out for the longest and is furthest from full fitness. Andre was ill last weekend but is feeling better while Marko’s hand is swollen but we expect him to be okay. Javier won’t be ready tonight but should resume training on Monday.

The rainbow alliance

If you’re visiting London Stadium tonight, or even watching the game on television, you may notice an extra splash of colour that’s not normally there.

If you have a keen eye you will spot four rainbow corner flags, one rainbow ball plinth, two rainbow captain’s armbands and, of course, hundreds of rainbow shoe laces.

LGBT rights charity Stonewall’s Rainbow Laces Week might only last for seven days every autumn, but it promotes an important message we should remember each and every day.

Sport is for absolutely everyone, and no one should ever feel uncomfortable, unwelcome or out of place when playing or watching sport.

Rainbow Laces Week is a very important show of support from the sporting world and we are proud to be kicking it off tonight.

The fee for this week’s column is going to Stonewall. stonewall.org.uk

Goodison’s a special place

Our focus is solely on Leicester tonight but, yes, I am looking forward to going back to Everton next Wednesday.

It was a special place to me for 11 years. We built two or three teams, we had fun doing it and we had good players with good attitudes.

Photo: Tony Marshall/Getty Images
Tony Marshall/Getty Images

Like West Ham fans, the supporters at Goodison demanded a certain level and if you fell below that, they let you know.

We were involved in European competition in most seasons at Everton and our long-term ambitions at West Ham should be similar.