After being hammered 6-0 at the weekend by Arsenal, their heaviest home defeat since Boxing Day 1963 when they lost 8-2 to Blackburn Rovers at Upton Park, David Moyes could’ve been forgiven for lying low for a few days.
It was a humiliating reverse for the Scot and his first-team squad, who were never allowed to get out of first gear by a Gunners side who did everything right on the day.
The two contrasting styles of play were surely never more in evidence than on Sunday, with West Ham’s long-suffering fan base surely pining for the type of football Mikel Arteta’s side were producing rather than the ‘safety first’ option that has become Moyes’ stock-in trade.
With the manager yet to have signed a new contract at the club but thought to be close to doing so before the Arsenal result, some of the Hammers faithful might’ve hoped that such a battering would help smooth the path to the exit door for Moyes.
However, as Fabrizio Romano notes, Moyes and the club still haven’t decided on their next steps.
“It’s still an open situation with regards to David Moyes staying at West Ham. Every week we seem to have 10 different reports; one day they’re saying a new deal is done and then the next day some are saying he’s leaving” he said in his exclusive Daily Briefing for CaughtOffside.
“The reality is that a new deal has been discussed but the situation is fluid and there’s still no final decision been made by both Moyes and the West Ham board.”
That opens up the possibility of a few more years of Moyes at the helm, though TV pictures of thousands of fans streaming out of the London Stadium before half time against Arsenal must arguably be weighing heavily on David Sullivan’s shoulders.