David Moyes has insisted for the first time that he is planning for next season, despite reports that West Ham could make a change in the dugout this summer.
Moyes has appeared on the brink of the sack on several occasions during the current campaign, but the club’s board have been steadfast in their public support of the Scot and look like being rewarded, with the Hammers’ form on the up.
A run of only one defeat in nine games has seen West Ham climb four points clear of relegation ahead of Sunday’s trip to Bournemouth and reach the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, where they will face Dutch side AZ Alkmaar next month.
It now looks certain that Moyes will see out the season at the very least, with the club’s hierarchy set to re-evaluate the situation in the summer. Lille boss Paulo Fonseca has been identified as a possible replacement should Irons chiefs decide to make a change, but Moyes is already looking ahead to the new campaign.
“I’m planning for next season,” Moyes confirmed. “I’ve got no intention [of leaving]. I’m getting on with my job, doing everything that I do and obviously, my head’s down and focused on how I’m getting myself more points at the moment. That’s the only thing I can think about.”
Sunday’s game on the south coast pits Moyes against former West Ham midfielder Gary O’Neil, who was handed the Bournemouth job on a temporary basis following Scott Parker’s early season sacking and then, after a successful start, offered the gig full-time.
The 39-year-old’s permanent appointment coincided with a marked downturn in the Cherries’ form, but the club’s board remained loyal and O’Neil has since led the newly-promoted side to the brink of safety after a run of three wins in four League games.
Moyes is one of only two managers - along with Nottingham Forest’s Steve Cooper - to still be in place from the start of the season among teams in the bottom half, and believes others have been too quick to react to outside pressure in pulling the trigger.
“I think some really, really good managers have left their jobs,” he added. “I can think of Brendan Rodgers, I can think of Ralph Hassenhuttl, I can think of Jesse Marsch... I can think of many managers who’ve left their jobs.
“You have to say sometimes, they are the wrong decisions. And maybe clubs are getting bullied [by outside noise] into making making these sorts of decisions.
“You have to say to the owners at West Ham, they have done a great job. They’ve stood by me. We have still got a lot of games to go to prove that they’ve made the right decision. But hopefully, hopefully we can prove that by the end of the season.”
