Former West Ham United boss Harry Redknapp has not taken too kindly to praise for David Moyes’ revival.
West Ham have turned the corner of late under Moyes with seven points in a week from tough fixtures against Chelsea, Arsenal and Stoke City.
Three clean sheets in that time have been the result of better organisation and a more fluid Hammers side clearly working to a tactical plan and style.
That was not always the case under Slaven Bilic, who was sacked as Hammers boss last month after the club’s worst ever start to a Premier League season.
One of the big accusations made against Bilic was that the players looked unfit and the running stats – both in terms of high intensity sprints and overall distance covered – supported that.
Bilic has since argued dismissals in certain games skewed those figures.
But Moyes has made running and hard work a feature of his early work in East London and with improved results he has received praise from supporters and pundits alike.
Fans and commentators have been lauding Moyes for getting the team more organised, disciplined and fitter.
“Honestly I keep hearing it, and it’s an absolute insult to Slaven Bilic when people say that they look fitter,” Redknapp told BT Sport.
“How can you get them fitter than what they were? They play Saturday, midweek, Saturday so you’re not doing a pre-season, you’re not running them and you’re not working them.
“Fitness now is dictated to by fitness coaches and sports scientists more than managers, how has he (Moyes) suddenly in four weeks got them fitter?
“If he took over at the end of the season and you had a different regime and you work them differently (then yes) but you can’t work them (like that mid-season).
“They played on Tuesday this week, now they’re playing today (Saturday), what has he done? They’ve come in and had a warm down on Thursday, he’s done a couple of set pieces on Friday, he’s not getting them fitter, how can he get them fitter?!”
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