West Ham are clinging to the hope that David Moyes can turn the struggling Premier League club’s fortunes around but defeat against Everton on Saturday would likely mean the end of his time as manager of the London club.
The Hammers are without a win in seven Premier League games and sit in the bottom three, level on points with Everton. Despite Moyes’s commendable record in Europe and a seventh-place finish last season, the club’s board are reluctantly contemplating replacing the Scotsman, it is understood.
His Everton counterpart, Frank Lampard, who began his playing career at the east London club, is also under intense scrutiny despite earning the backing of the Merseyside club’s owner, Farhad Moshiri. Everton’s 69-year presence in the top flight of English football is precarious after their 2-1 loss to Southampton, the team’s 10th defeat in 13 games in all competitions.
A win at West Ham would shore up Lampard’s position but equally it has been reported that were Moyes to be sacked after Saturday’s fixture there would be growing calls for his return to Goodison Park. Moyes spent 12 years on Merseyside and steered the club to regular top-10 finishes, the highest of which was fourth place in 2005. He won no trophies but was considered to have restored pride in the “people’s club”.
Moyes, meanwhile, desperately needs a victory to convince the club that they should stand by him after three years as manager. The relegation six-pointer comes before a gruelling run of matches against Newcastle, Chelsea and Tottenham.
West Ham have been desperately trying to bring in reinforcements to a small squad as the club tumbled down the table and looked exhausted in Europe. They have been chasing the Lorient striker Terem Moffi and showing an interest in the loan signing of the Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire, though the England international wants to stay at Old Trafford.
Moyes has clashed with some senior players this season and there is a feeling at the club that his counterpunching tactics do not suit the squad, despite a summer outlay of £160m.
