West Ham United take on Watford on Sunday afternoon in what is David Moyes’ first game in charge.
West Ham replaced sacked Slaven Bilic with Moyes last week to much apathy and anger from supporters.
Fans felt the appointment lacked ambition given Moyes’ perceived failure in his last three jobs.
That has subsided somewhat since with many supporters impressed by the Scot’s no-nonsense approach and bullish attitude in interviews.
Moyes has brought in Stuart Pearce, Alan Irvine and Billy McKinlay as his assistants and videos on social media show training looking intense and organised.
West Ham fans will give Moyes a fair chance at the club but here are three crucial things they will want to see in the game against the Hornets at Vicarage Road if he is to win them over.
1) Defensive organisation and discipline
West Ham have been a shambles defensively for the best part of 18 months. They had one of the worst defensive records in the Premier League last season despite finishing 11th and with the ageing Pablo Zabaleta the only addition to the rearguard during the summer then it is little wonder that trend has continued. This season they have the worst defensive record so far and Moyes must show that he has the acumen to fix that problem quickly. Supporters will want to see organisation, compactness and an understanding of their positions and responsibilities within the team framework.
2) Players working hard and fighting for the badge
Prior to Moyes taking over West Ham were bottom in terms of distance covered so far this season and bottom in terms of high intensity sprints. Dress it up how you want but that shows that A) the players have not been working hard or quickly enough to close down the opposition and B) that players simply have not been supporting attacks or tracking back and helping out in defence anything near the level required to be competitive in the Premier League. Fans want to see players putting the hard yards in for the team and that will really get the club’s disillusioned support back onside. And as Alan Curbishley once said when you get the West Ham fans fully behind you it can be like a juggernaut.
3) Two up front
West Ham supporters are tired of seeing the club playing with one striker, particularly when so-called lesser clubs are being brave and operating with two up top. Obviously tactics and team shape will very much depend on the level of opposition but if the likes of Burnley and Watford can play with two strikers then why not West Ham? If Moyes is positive from the outset and attacks teams like Bilic did in his first season then any scepticism over his appointment and style of play will soon dissipate. Javier Hernandez is out for this one but Bilic will have Andy Carroll, Diafra Sakho and Andre Ayew to call on with youngster Antonio Martinez also crying out for a chance with his performances for the club’s U23 side.
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