It will be of little consolation to David Moyes that his gloomy prediction has come true. “If we’re going to play like that we’re going to be challenging in a different part of the league,” Moyes said after a limp 3-1 defeat by Brighton on the final day of last season saw West Ham miss out on Europa League qualification. “I won’t have them if they are going to play like that.”
There was no holding back. Qualifying for the Europa Conference League felt like a meagre reward following a campaign of such great promise and Moyes was not blind to the warning signs. He could not afford to be sidetracked by West Ham finishing seventh and reaching the last four of the Europa League. The fact is that the team’s momentum in the league had slowed after Christmas, a lack of depth proving costly, and as Moyes opened up at the Amex Stadium he sounded like a man who knew that it was time to make some ruthless changes.
