West Ham: David Moyes is kidding himself if he believes he is still a top 8 manager

Reuters/DAVID KLEIN

This past week West Ham United manager David Moyes said: “I have to make sure I’ve got what I want to do. For most of my seasons, apart from one last year, I’ve been competing at the top six or eight. I need to see if West Ham are going to get there. I want to be a manager pushing the top six or eight. You need the tools for that. I want to make sure I can give the supporters what they crave.”

Okay, there is a lot to dissect there but the crux of his quotes is that he believes he is a top 6/8 manager right now, not ten years ago - now. 

Recent past

When Moyes left Everton for Manchester United in 2013, he thought he was taking his career to the next level. He said on being appointed: "I know how hard it will be to follow the best manager ever, but the opportunity to manage Manchester United isn't something that comes around very often and I'm really looking forward to taking up the post next season."

Hard to follow in the footsteps of Alex Ferguson was an understatement. An underwhelming campaign in which United struggled in every competition. The club missed out on Champions League football and fell to home cup losses against Sunderland in the League Cup semi-final and Swansea in the FA Cup third round. 

Moyes then landed the Real Sociedad job in 2014 and guided them to a mid-table finish in his first season before being sacked midway through the 2015-16 campaign. At that stage, the club were sat in fourth bottom and only out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

Which is even more remarkable when Moyes tries to rewrite history to claim that he has competed for the top eight in every season - clearly not at Sociedad. 

Sunderland

Reuters/JOHN SIBLEY

The main stain on Moyes’s reputation and legacy was his ill-fated season at Sunderland. He was hired by the Black Cats after Sam Allardyce had transformed the club so effectively he was given the England job. 

However, early into his tenure, it was obvious that he was not prepared for the job. After losing 2-1 in the clubs opening home game Moyes said: “I think it will be (another relegation battle). I don't think you can hide the facts, I think that will be the case, yes."

How to deflate a fanbase in just 17 words. Moyes oversaw a period of utter misery at the Stadium of Light that he can only be blamed for. 

His transfer policy was all wrong and during his tenure, he spent £36 million, including £24 million on Papy Djilobodji and Didier N’Dong - two players who are currently out on loan. 

Moyes had turned a club that was together, after Big Sam galvanised them to safety the year previously, and managed to suck the life out of it. 

West Ham

His record at West Ham has also been poor as he has overseen just five wins from a possible 20. Ultimately he has succeeded in his aim to keep the club afloat, but the work he has done has been nothing more than adequate. 

West Ham fans will know if Moyes stays the likelihood is that they will be a lower-mid table side and they can point to results like their 3-0 home loss to Burnley, 4-1 away loss at Swansea, 3-1 loss at Brighton and 2-0 FA Cup loss at League One Wigan as proof that Moyes is not fit for the job long term. 

Moyes is not a top 6/8 manager

Back to the initial point, the fact that David Moyes believes he is even a top ten manager in the Premier League suggests that he still thinks it is 2008. 

When Moyes was at Everton, he oversaw a period of success that re-established Everton as a force in the Premier League. Admittedly, he left Everton with no honours and even when they qualified for the Champions League he failed to take them into the group stages. 

Since leaving Everton, Moyes has proved that he is nothing more than an average manager. His efforts at all four clubs since have been poor. He has never achieved a 30% win percentage in any of his last three club posts yet somehow feels he is deserving of a top job.

What jobs does Moyes believe he should be in the running for? Arsenal? Chelsea? They are the only top-eight jobs likely to come up this summer. It seems laughable that Moyes could even think of himself as being capable of managing at one the elite clubs again.

Ultimately, Moyes is yesterday's man. He is still clinging to his reputation from his spell at Everton yet has done nothing in the five years since leaving to prove that he is still a top-level manager.

His attempts at rewriting history should not go amiss to clubs since he left Everton he has yet to achieve any success and his lack of silverware is there for all to see. 

The ill effects of his reign at Sunderland are still being felt now as the club endured a second relegation on the back of his awful management at the club and any clubs looking at hiring a new manager should be wary of Moyes’s credentials since he left Everton in 2013. 

Do you think David Moyes is capable of managing a top eight club again? Let us know in the comments below.