David Moyes became the 35th manager in the modern era of English football to get inducted into the LMA hall of fame 1000 club after managing West Ham against Genk.
Jose Mourinho and Steve Bruce were previously inducted into the hall of fame this season.
First Game
A trip to Moss Rose on a cold Tuesday night was hardly the stuff of dreams, however it was a winning start for Moyes as Winger Lee Cartwright fired the game’s only goal.
The second half of the game was played in the gloom, an electrical fault causing a noticeable dip in the power of the floodlights. Moyes made six changes with the most significant one being Davey.
Almost 24 years and five clubs after taking charge of Preston North End as a player manager, David Moyes took charge of West Ham for his 1000th managerial game.
So far as a manager he has won one Football League Second Division:1999-2000 and one FA Community Shield:2013.
1000th Game
Moyes 1000th game as a manager saw West Ham United’s unbeaten start to their UEFA Europa League campaign continue with a 2-2 draw in Genk.
In a see-saw game, Genk led through early through Joseph Painstil, before Said Benrahma’s double put the Hammers in front. Tomas Soucek’s unfortunate late own goal meant the points would be saved.
Moyes Respected By Peers
David Moyes has previously managed the likes of Everton, Manchester United and Real Sociedad although, it might be his current spell at West Ham that is finally opening the eyes of those who had questioned his managerial credentials up until now.
“His success should not surprise anyone” proclaimed ex Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder.
First Stint At West Ham
Back in November 2017 David Sullivan said Moyes was the “right man to turn things around” as he replaced Slaven Bilic signing a short-term contract with West Ham languishing 2nd from bottom in the league table.
He would go on to guide them to 13th position, nine points clear of the drop zone. Come the end of the season, Moyes’s ‘job was done: survival achieved’, as joint chairman David Sullivan declared “We feel that it is right to move in a different direction. We aim to appoint a high-calibre figure who we feel will lead the club into an exciting future for our loyal supporters.”
Historic Season
In November 2019, Moyes returned as manager of West Ham and again helped them stay up. In the historic 20/21 season, West Ham amassed a Premier League club record of 65 points, a 6th place finish, and Europa Cup qualification
European qualification helped West Ham sign players the level of Kurt Zouma and Nikola Vlasic. Signing players of that quality will give them better chances in the tournament beyond the group stages.
Moyes Is Ambitious
“I want to win one trophy with West Ham and then I want to win another one”. Not content with the progress he has made within himself and his club, Moyes has a desire to bring silverware to the London Stadium but acknowledged to WHFC.com, “I see my part of the job is to get West Ham back up to where we should be and let’s see where we go from there”.
| G | W | D | L | Win percentage | |
| Jan 1998 – Present | 1000 | 425 | 257 | 318 | 42.50 |
*Correct up until 6th Nov 2021
Behind The Scenes
During the lockdown period Moyes helped deliver fruit and vegetables to families in his local community.
Over Christmas 2020, the West Ham United family came together to support campaigns close to the Hammers fans’ hearts and local projects which helped those most in need in the local community, following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Club’s work in the community is a huge part of what they do and David Moyes has embraced that wholeheartedly,
According to West Ham.com the Players’ Project sees players from the men’s, women’s and Academy teams directly work with people from the local community, split into eleven strands, and delivering over 30 programmes that span health, education, community initiatives and football development, which engage with up to 50,000 people per year.
Fan Opinion
Prior to Moyes’s 10001th game in charge I made my way to the London Stadium to hear from West Ham fans on the job Moyes is doing for their club.
feature image credit : commons.wikipedia1
