A highly detailed Sky Sports report anchored in damning statistics has left West Ham boss David Moyes nowhere to hide.
The fissure between West Ham fans over David Moyes grows wider every day it seems.
Hammers supporters are divided over whether the Scot should remain manager.
Indeed some West Ham fans are even conflicted about their own feelings on the subject.
West Ham’s worst home league defeat for over six decades has sparked fresh speculation that Moyes will depart.
Whether that is before his contract expires in the summer reportedly depends on the outcome of the next four games.
Detailed report leaves Moyes nowhere to hide
For the bickering sections of the Hammers fanbase, though, the argument for and against Moyes is rooted around style vs substance.
It’s pretty obvious that when the results dry up, Moyes’ risk averse style is there to be shot at.
But even the supporters who are very much behind the manager may have to hold their hands up in light of a damning new analysis.
Because a highly detailed Sky Sports report leaves West Ham boss Moyes nowhere to hide.
Analyst Adam Bate has produced one of the finest pieces on West Ham you will read all season.
Anchored in facts and relevant statistics, it will make for uncomfortable reading for Moyes, his backers and the many pundits who criticise the section of fans calling for change.
Key statistics prove damning
The feature is very in-depth, but we have picked out some of the key points here:
- Pressing: West Ham have the fewest pressing sequences in the Premier League. Liverpool have the most.
- Opposition passes allowed per defensive action (PPDA): These calculate the number of opposition passes allowed per defensive action, essentially measuring how passive a team is when out of possession. Only Nottingham Forest allow more than West Ham.
- High turnovers: West Ham rarely turn the ball over high up the pitch. Those moments that can be such a source of excitement, winning possession around the opposition box, are rare under Moyes. Only bottom club Sheffield United have fewer high turnovers.
- Progress against (metres): The final measure worth mentioning, another that illustrates how West Ham play on the back foot, is the one that shows how much progress upfield that the opposition make against each Premier League team per sequences of play. West Ham are top again.
- Possession: Only six of the 96 teams in Europe’s top five major leagues have had less possession than West Ham. All six rank 15th or lower in their respective tables.
“Put simply, West Ham play like a bad team,” the report states.
“And when they lose games the way that they lose them, they are a bad team. That can become really awkward for Moyes when that team includes players of the ability of Jarrod Bowen, Mohammed Kudus and the rest…
“These supporters are not deluded. They understand that nights like the one they enjoyed in Prague are not normal for West Ham. They have lived through the lean years. There is a gratitude for the good times under Moyes and a realisation that change brings risk.
“Even so, wanting it to look different to this is understandable.”
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