West Ham have this evening officially dodged a big David Moyes bullet but it presented the club with a whole new nightmare.
The Hammers breathed new life into their season with a shock win at Newcastle this week.
But make no mistake Julen Lopetegui’s position was on a knife-edge at West Ham.
And failure to prove the Newcastle performance and result was not a one off will see the pressure pile back on in east London faster than you can say David Moyes.
The Hammers have a difficult task getting back-to-back wins considering Arsenal come to the London Stadium on Saturday.
But whatever happens, West Ham’s owners and fans will be fully expecting to win at Leicester on Tuesday night.
West Ham were worried their worst Moyes fears could be realised when they face Leicester on December 3rd.
Moyes returning to the Hammers for a third term was ruled out earlier this month when Lopetegui was under mounting pressure.
But the Scot taking over as the manager of Leicester in time for them to face West Ham was looking a distinct possibility.
Speculation has been rife that Moyes was a prime candidate to take over at the King Power following the sacking of Steve Cooper.
Worried West Ham dodge Moyes bullet
That could have made for a very awkward situation for West Ham.
Especially if the pressure is back on Lopetegui by then.
The Hammers have found it almost impossible to shake off constant criticism from the ‘careful what you wish for’ brigade over their decision to replace Moyes with the Spaniard.
So having him in charge of the Foxes for what will be a big game for West Ham’s hopes and aims this season could have been a problem.
Now worried West Ham have dodged a big Moyes bullet but now face a new nightmare.
A journalist recently claimed Ruud Van Nistelrooy had made himself a ‘serious contender’ for West Ham after leaving Man United.
That always looked like an outlier.
But many Hammers fans were intrigued by the possibility because of Van Nistelrooy’s astonishing record in his first two jobs as a manager.
The Dutchman has enjoyed a fantastic win ratio of 65 per cent with 36 victories, 11 draws and eight defeats from 55 games at PSV and Man United.
Hammers now face new nightmare and Ruud awakening
Van Nistelrooy’s sides have been brilliant in attack, scoring a whopping 137 goals in his 55 games. That’s 2.5 goal per game.
Whether the former elite striker was on a West Ham shortlist or not, now they have to face him.
Moyes has been left with nowhere to go after being overlooked for the Leicester job.
But Van Nistelrooy has now officially been announced as Leicester’s new manager.
And guess who his first home game at what now promises to be a lively King Power is against?
Yes, West Ham United.
Lopetegui seriously needs to build up a head of steam off the back of the Newcastle win.
King Powered up by new manager
Jamie Carragher and others have warned the club’s owners not to be fooled by the team’s sudden spike in running stats at St James’ Park.
The Sky Sports pundit has put on record that he thinks Lopetegui was the wrong choice for the Hammers.
And he says much more evidence is needed to prove that theory wrong.
West Ham fans will agree with that sentiment.
Especially given just how bad performances and results had been until that bolt out of the blue of a result this week.
With a new manager in charge West Ham can be guaranteed a much tougher game at Leicester.
Especially as Van Nistelrooy loves giving his team’s freedom to attack.
Related Posts
