West Ham's London Stadium troubles show why David Moyes faces bigger problems than just results

John Dillon18 November 2017

David Moyes can park a bus across West Ham’s goal at Watford on Sunday if he likes; two, if necessary.

Among the team’s many troubles which led to the downfall of former manager Slaven Bilic, they have the second worst away record in the Premier League - as well as a desperate one at home.

So steadying the ship is Moyes’ first job. A point at Vicarage Road would be a satisfactory start, even though the Hornets’ good early-season form has evaporated, losing their last three games.

After that, it is at the big, awkward bowl of the London Stadium where Moyes has to make his biggest impression.

That’s partly because the Hammers have been so dreadful on their own patch this season, losing calamitously to Liverpool and Brighton and being beaten by Spurs. And even more so, it is because of the enduringly hollow and sterile nature of the place.

This is the biggest problem Moyes could encounter in Stratford, even though he has the bonus of an evening start in east London against Leicester City next Friday.

With just six months to prove he is worthy of an extended run in the job, it is a fair assumption that his first move will be to make the Hammers hard to beat.

In Pictures | David Moyes' First Training Session as West Ham manager

1/12

But it may not be enough in an arena which has sucked much of the spirit out of the fans and the players since the club left Upton Park last year.

That has nothing to do with a demand from the stands that the side plays in the so-called ‘West Ham way’, although it would be welcome.

It has more to do with the urgent need to breathe some life into the new arena - and that may not happen if the team simply become better organised, more defensively sound and fitter than they were as the Bilic era unravelled.

Getty Images

That will hardly set the place alight. It’s a Catch 22: there are more pressing priorities than entertainment; but without it, most occasions in the stadium feel flat and empty - certainly in daylight hours, although there has been the odd rumbustious London derby at night. And so the problems perpetuate.

Of course, it makes sense for Moyes to set rectifying the basics first because West Ham have to escape from the threat of relegation.

According to soccerstats.com, their away form ahead of the trip to Watford places them second from bottom with a record of no wins, three draws and three losses, with 13 goals conceded.

Just as much, though, they have to put an end to the humiliating fact that they have been taken apart so often on their new pitch.

Liverpool hit four there two weeks ago to seal Bilic’s fate, and Brighton and Spurs scored three apiece.

In Pictures | West Ham vs Liverpool | 04/11/2017

1/34

Their home form places them fourth from bottom – two wins and three defeats from five - with, notably, only six goals scored in east London and 10 conceded.

Last season, Arsenal, Manchester City (twice) and Liverpool all ran riot there - even Southampton won 3-0.

It has been a joy to watch for all those rival fans who were incensed by the terms upon which the Hammers secured their new home, claiming the club had landed a giant tax-payer-funded windfall.

In reality, the stadium breeds a downbeat mood, a tendency towards disgruntlement and rebellion and a general air of dissatisfaction and dislocation.

It is partly because it isn’t Upton Park, of course. But even more, it is because it isn’t a football ground. So it doesn’t feel like one. And unless West Ham start dishing out a few good hidings there - or at least rack up some consistently significant wins - it never will.

Many critics and pundits insist that the side’s failures cannot be blamed upon the ground. But I genuinely believe it is a large part of the problem - and the owners have to find some way to get over it.

It’s OK for visiting teams - they only have to play there once a season and revel in its space. West Ham have to deal with the problems and the atmosphere it creates all season long.

And those complaints about supporters leaving early? Well, after an 8pm evening kick-off, it takes a long, long time for the crowd to get back across the windswept Olympic Park to join the lengthy queues to get into Stratford station.

Huge numbers of fans live in Essex. It’s a long walk if they miss the last train.

In Pictures | West Ham vs Brighton | 20/10/2017

1/24

Any serious supporter knows that the ‘West Ham Way’ was as much about fragility and disappointment as it was free-flowing football.

And it was all years ago, with the game now drastically changed from the days when magicians like Trevor Brooking and Alan Devonshire were gliding about at their best.

Moyes doesn’t have to live up to that. It would be a grossly unfair expectation.

It took decades for Ted Fenton, Ron Greenwood and John Lyall to create West Ham’s much-vaunted traditions. The new man has just six months, at first, and his mission is clear - survival.

Former boss Sam Allardyce spelled out recently why even for him, the club was an awkward one to manage. He included the owners in it.

David Moyes, who has a big chance to refurbish his reputation in east London, may be about to learn just how much the move to Stratford has added to that peculiar ‘West Ham Way.’

MORE ABOUT