David Moyes claimed West Ham were on brink of major evolution after epiphany so why did he bottle it?

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David Moyes claimed West Ham were on the brink of a major evolution after a very public epiphany so why did he bottle it?

That’s the question I – like many other West Ham fans – cannot get out of my head this week.

Forget the fact the Hammers made it three defeats in a row by throwing away a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 at Brentford.

Forget that it means West Ham have now won just one of their last seven Premier League matches.

And forget that the only team West Ham have stopped scoring all season is League Two Lincoln City.

Because perhaps the biggest frustration is the actions of David Moyes after that memorable win over Arsenal.

David Moyes claimed West Ham were on brink of major evolution after epiphany so why did he bottle it?

Moyes claimed West Ham were on the brink of a major evolution after an epiphany so why did he bottle it?

As stated several times now, Michail Antonio has had his day as a forward at Premier League level. Of that there is no debate for the soon-to-be 34-year-old.

So when Moyes finally dropped Antonio for the Carabao Cup clash with Arsenal to play Jarrod Bowen up front supported by Mohammed Kudus and Said Benrahma there was great intrigue.

West Ham were pressing the life out of Arsenal and looked so much more fluid and dangerous.

This was it, this was the answer, this was Moyes ball 2.0, the evolution the Hammers have long needed.

Moyes even said so himself after the game.

‘We all saw something the other night… you have to keep finding new ways’

“I think we all saw something the other night,” Moyes said pre-Brentford.

“Was that the reason we played much better? Maybe. I think we’re all looking at it and saying, we’re needing to keep [evolving].

“It’s like with anything else, when you talk about moving managers on or moving players on, you have to keep finding new ways.”

So why, why, why did the Scot – after finding this brave, exciting new way – revert to type with busted flush Antonio up top at Brentford.

Weak decision to reinstate Antonio and it backfired spectacularly

It was a weak, ridiculous decision after what that front three had produced against Arsenal.

And it backfired with no lack of irony when Antonio was almost single-handedly to blame for the defeat after he took a tap-in off Said Benrahma’s toe to miss an open goal from less than a yard out with the score at 2-1 to the Hammers.

That would and should have made it 3-1. The miss changed the entire complexion of the game and Antonio was hauled off yet again in the second half.

But instead of going back to the Arsenal blueprint, Moyes brought on Danny Ings – who produced a stroll for the ages with a scandalously bad substitute’s performance.

That more dynamic, diminutive front three would have given Brentford’s giant defenders a much more difficult challenge than blunt instrument Antonio.

Why Moyes bottled sticking to his guns after proclaiming ‘we’d all seen’ the new way forward only he knows.

And he only has himself to blame.

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