West Ham news: What is David Moyes’ record at West Ham?

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1.53 points per game 

On Sunday, West Ham confirmed that they would part ways with manager David Moyes, following the end of this current contract with the Premier League side. After four and a half years at the club, Moyes will now depart the club at the end of the season just one year after winning West Ham’s first trophy since 1980, when he guided the club to the Europa Conference League following a 2-1 win over Fiorentina. 

“I have enjoyed four and a half brilliant years at West Ham, and the club is in a stronger position than when I returned back in 2019,” said Moyes in a club statement. “When I joined West Ham for a second time, the club was one place above the relegation zone, and it has been a terrific journey to have achieved three consecutive seasons in Europe.” Special thanks for Moyes’ performance as West Ham manager was offered by Joint-Chairman David Sullivan, who said: “David has been responsible for a period of great progress and success in our history, and we are extremely grateful for all of his hard work, commitment and dedication to the role.”

Despite the kind words, Moyes departs West Ham as a figure of much debate among the club’s own fanbase. Results such as Sunday’s 5-0 defeat to Chelsea have become rather common under the Scottish manager, whose side have now won just one of their last nine league games in the English top-flight. As such, many West Ham fans are looking forward to seeing a new manager in charge. But how good has Moyes been as the club’s manager and how formidable a record does he leave behind for his predecessor to try and match? 

Moyes’ record as West Ham manager

To date, Moyes has coached just under 230 games in this stint as West Ham manager and has bagged an impressive 1.53 points per game in all competitions. That figure puts the Scot ahead of the last four full-time managers at the club, with Sam Allardyce coming close with 1.43 points per game. In fact, when we include that list to all West Ham managers since 2003 and look at which ones have performed the best in the Premier League, Moyes also comes out on top with an average of 1.34 points per game – higher than the seven full-time managers that came before him and further proof that he has taken West Ham to new heights in the Premier League. 

If we then take a look at West Ham’s final points tallies in each of the five seasons Moyes has been in charge, we can get an even more accurate idea of how he’s fared against previous managers at the club. For example, following a tricky first half season in charge in 2019/20 in which West Ham finished 16th, Moyes then took the club to sixth and seventh in the following two seasons with points tallies of 65 and 56 points respectively. Those campaigns also happen to be West Ham’s first and third most successful returns in the Premier League since they won promotion back to the division in 2012, with only Slaven Bilic’s team in 2015/16 managing to rival it with their seventh-placed finish. Interestingly enough, since the start of the Premier League era (93/94), only Harry Redknapp has taken West Ham to a higher placed finish in the divison, when he took West Ham to fifth in the 98/99 season. However, the team’s points tally for that season stood at just 57, which is still below Moyes’ best return for the club. 

How much have West Ham spent under Moyes?

Although West Ham aren’t typically considered to be one of England’s richest clubs, the London side did move into a new stadium in 2016 and clearly harbour ambitions of establishing themselves as a team capable of competing for European football each season. And when we look at their spending in the transfer window since Moyes arrived at the club, that certainly seems to be the case. As we can see in the table below, the Hammers have been the eighth highest spenders in the English top-flight since the start of the 2019/20 season, ahead of title contenders Liverpool, but having spent considerably less than the likes of Tottenham, Newcastle and Aston Villa. As such, based on the money to hand, eighth placed in the league is more or less where West Ham should be. Which goes some way to explaining why last season’s fourteenth-place finish and this season’s malaise in ninth place may have led to Moyes losing his job. 

According to multiple reports in England, Moyes will be replaced by former Sevilla and Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui next season. The Spaniard has built a solid reputaiton in LaLiga, after winning the Europa League with Sevilla and establishing the club as a top four side in the Spanish top-flight. Perhaps the 57-year-old tactician can do exactly that with West Ham and build upon what Moyes achieved at the club. But he’ll have a tough job to do in bettering his predecessor at the London Stadium on paper, even if fans are rejoicing in his arrival next season. Moyes may have taken West Ham as far as they could go. It’ll be up to Lopetegui to prove otherwise.