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David Moyes

Premier League Preview: Sheffield United v. West Ham United

By Nicholas MendolaJan 9, 2020, 6:16 PM EST
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The Premier League gets back in business on Friday at Bramall Lane when Sheffield United hosts West Ham United (Watch Live at 3 p.m. ET on NBCSN and online via NBCSports.com).

Their table fortunes are indicative of the Premier League’s lack of clear tiers so far this season.

Blades are two points off fifth and seven back of the Top Four, while West Ham is two points off the drop zone and a win off 11th.

[ MORE: Premier League schedule ]

West Ham cruised past Bournemouth in opening David Moyes‘ second tenure with the Irons, while the Blades are coming off back-to-back losses and are winless in three.

The sides met Oct. 26 in London, with Lys Mousset‘s goal leveling the line after Robert Snodgrass put West Ham up at home.

WATCH LIVE, ONLINE, HERE

Injuries/suspensions

Sheffield United: OUT —  None. QUESTIONABLE — Michael Verrips, Simon Moore.

West Ham United: OUT — Michail Antonio, Andriy Yarmolenko, Ryan Fredericks, Mark Noble, Jack Wilshere. QUESTIONABLE — Aaron Cresswell, Mark Noble.

Probable lineups

Sheffield United: Henderson; Egan, Basham, O’Connell, Stevens, Norwood, Fleck, Besic, Baldock, Mousset, McGoldrick.

West Ham United: Fabianski, Cresswell, Ogbonna, Balbuena, Fredericks, Rice, Noble, Fornals, Anderson, Snodgrass, Haller.

What they’re saying

Blades defender John Egan on rebounding from tough losses: “They were really tough trips to (Man) City and Liverpool. They’re probably the two best teams in the country, so going away to them was always going to be tough. The Man City game, we were quite unlucky not to get a result. … The Liverpool game was a bit of an eye-opener for us. We weren’t at our best, which we have to be to try and get a result. We came away from those two games, saw where we went wrong and we have to learn from it. All we can do is try and get better so next time we play these teams we have a better chance of getting a result.”

West Ham boss Moyes on transfer links: “I think West Ham have been linked with just about every player in the country and I’m here a week and a half, so it’s interesting, but I think that’s the norm for here. Quite often we are linked with a lot of players. We won’t be bringing in a bundle of players in, but obviously we’d like to add to the squad if we can. Gedson Fernandes is one name we’re talking about. He’s a young player with potential, probably more for the future. From that point of view, I’d like to bring young players in for the future, players we can look to build to get a strong, young team, but I also have to be wary that I need players who are ready for now and can feature in the first team as well.”

Prediction

The Blades are a handful, but West Ham’s new lease on life also feels pretty real. How about another split of the spoils and 1-1 at Bramall Lane?

West Ham smashes Bournemouth as Moyes begins 2nd term

Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images
Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaJan 1, 2020, 2:43 PM EST
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The David Moyes era is off to a flying start thanks to West Ham United’s 4-0 demolition of woeful Bournemouth at the London Stadium on Wednesday.

[ MORE: Watch full PL match replays ]

Mark Noble scored twice, once from the spot, to join Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller on the score sheet.

Bournemouth sinks into 18th with 20 points, two points and places behind the hosts.

Three things we learned

1. Key pieces give David Moyes a dream (re)debut: Manuel Pellegrini will be shaking his fists at the sky after West Ham’s biggest names delivered on Wednesday (Actually, he seems like a classy guy and he’s probably happy for them). Anderson and Haller both scored, and their awakening is paramount to the Irons success. The opponents won’t always be visitors and Bournemouth, but this was a professional home win and cannot be discounted given the misery around the London side.

2. Cherries table spot fits their season: Bournemouth dipped into the Bottom Three thanks to Aston Villa joining West Ham as teams to collect three points on Wednesday. It could’ve been so much worse than 4-0, as Aaron Ramsdale made a few decent saves and the Irons also missed some gilt-edged chances. Don’t take too much away from West Ham’s response to a new manager and their attacking talent, but Bournemouth looked so, so bad in being out shot 14-3.

3. Cresswell sending off overturned: Aaron Cresswell drew a straight red card in the 75th minute with a studs-up tackle. Ugly stuff on a beautiful day for the Irons, but their fortunate day continued when VAR took it from a red to a yellow.

Man of the Match: Noble. Moyes said he was gonna lean on his captain, and “Mr. West Ham” was didn’t mind the extra weight.

Bournemouth’s been as bad as West Ham, and the hosts punished their poor defending twice in the first 26 minutes.

First, Felipe Anderson and Robert Snodgrass conducted some in-box interplay before the latter set up Noble for his opener.

Then Haller used a scissor kick after Snodgrass cued up a Ryan Fredericks cross to the Frenchman.

[ MORE: Premier League stats ] 

Liverpool loanee Harry Wilson then put Noble to the turf for a 34th minute penalty. The captain rolled it in.

Anderson missed a chance to make it 4-0 in the 66th minute and was due to be subbed off when he cashed in a second chance.

The ex-Lazio attacker took a terrific first touch of a fantastic Declan Rice diagonal ball and dribbled into the 18 to roll past Aaron Ramsdale.

That’s when Aaron Cresswell lost his mind, tackling Ryan Fraser to see straight red in the 75th. Fortunately for him, VAR saw a clear and obvious error. Very fortunate.

Transfer rumor roundup: Man Utd linked with Benfica mid; Moyes targets duo

Photo by Carlos Palma/NurPhoto via Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaDec 30, 2019, 10:20 AM EST
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Erling Haland has moved to Borussia Dortmund and Pedro may be departing Chelsea, so what’s next?

[ MORE: Premier League schedule ] 

Manchester United is looking toward Benfica center midfielder Gedson Fernandes, according to Sky Sports.

Fernandes, 20, has a big price tag attached to him but that fee may take a dive given the player has dipped down his manager’s pecking order.

The report says it could be a loan deal with a $45 million option to buy, well shy of the player’s $134 million release clause.

He was twice-capped by Portugal in 2018, and has three goals and seven assists in 58 first team matches.

The low obligation loan-to-buy would likely be tempting for any number of teams, as Fernandes is yet to meet his potential but certainly had loads of it.

New West Ham boss David Moyes is already being tipped to chase two familiar names as he demands better from the Irons’ most recent buys.

Neither has starred in the top flight in recent days, as Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud has just one goal in 282 minutes this season. But he was a Europa League monster last season, and put together 13 goals and 10 assists in 45 matches last season.

Then there’s Joe Allen, who’s scored three times in 23 Championship appearances for Stoke City this season. He stayed with the club following its relegation but may be open to a top flight return.

The 29-year-old has 199 Premier League appearances.

Newcastle United is turning its eyes to Scotland for another attacking threat.

Lewis Smith, 19, has caught the attention of the Scottish Premiership at Hamilton Academic, where he’s scored four times with three assists this season.

He’s played in the center of the park and at right midfield as well on both wings. Smith has repped Scotland as the U-17 and U-21 levels.

Moyes: West Ham needs transfer buys ‘to stand up’

David Moyes introductory press conference
Photo by Kirsty O'Connor/PA Images via Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaDec 30, 2019, 9:34 AM EST
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Allow him to re-introduce himself, Hammers.

West Ham United boss David Moyes is putting the onus on his players ahead of his second bid to save the Irons’ Premier League status.

[ MORE: Premier League schedule ]

Hired Sunday to replace Manuel Pellegrini, Moyes says West Ham is in a better position than the last time he took the reins.

The club signed Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals this summer after landing Felipe Anderson, Issa Diop, and Andriy Yarmolenko in 2018/19.

“They have spent well on players. If we’re being truthful, we need those players to stand up,” said Moyes at his re-introductory press conference, via Football.London. “They will have a massive impact on the support and they need to stand up in the coming weeks. We had to get a quick turnaround last time to get results, we have to do that again but I do know I now have a longer project.”

West Ham sits a point ahead of the drop zone, with a match-in-hand on its relegation rivals. It was enough to earn an “F” grade in our midseason ratings.1

Moyes oversaw training for the first time on Monday, and said Alan Irvine will join his back room staff with Stuart Pierce a possibility, too. He credited Mark Noble for his help ahead of a big six-pointer with Bournemouth this weekend (Watch live, 12:30 p.m. ET Wednesday on NBC Sports Gold).

He also wouldn’t rule out spending money in the January window, but again pointed back to the current crop of Irons.

“I think there is money there to spend. I am more interested in the players at the club at the moment, see how we can mould them into the best possible team and formation. We have to get results.”

West Ham United brings back Moyes to replace Pellegrini

West Ham United hires David Moyes
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
By Nicholas MendolaDec 29, 2019, 4:22 PM EST
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The reports are true: West Ham United is going to a familiar name in a bid to save its Premier League status.

The Irons have appointed David Moyes to fill the shoes of Manuel Pellegrini, who was fired Saturday after a 2-1 loss to Leicester City.

West Ham is one point above the Bottom Three, with a match-in-hand on all of its relegation rivals.

[ MORE: Premier League schedule ] 

It’s an 18-month deal for Moyes, who returns to West Ham after a year-and-a-half outside management. He’s a three-time PFA Manager of the Year (2003, 2005, 2009), and led Preston to promotion in 2000.

Here are all of Moyes’ words from a release at WHUFC.com:

“It’s fabulous to be back,” said Moyes. “It feels great to be home. I’ve missed being here because I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed being around the stadium and I loved being in this part of the world and I missed the Club, so I can’t wait to get started.

“I’m feeling very proud that I’m back here at West Ham. But I think more importantly I’ll be looking to see what I can do and what I can make improvements to, how we can get some wins with the players and how we can get some quick wins on the field as well.

“I do believe that the squad of players I’ve got here is a better squad of players than when I took over before, so I am looking forward to working with them.”

“I think there’s got to be a short-term goal for us just now to get the wins to get us away from the wrong end of the league and what we’re going to do over the next six months, then what we’re going to do over the next period as well. The start is really focusing on the immediate games.”

The 56-year-old Moyes is best known for his 11-year run as Everton boss, which was preceded by four seasons with Preston North End. He then underwent a tumultuous run as Sir Alex Ferguson‘s hand-picked replacement at Manchester United before short stints with Real Sociedad, Sunderland, and the Irons.

Moyes has been out of work since his first stint as West Ham manager, when he took over for Slaven Bilic on a six-month contract.

[ MORE: Rodgers “so proud” of Leicester after making nine changes, winning ]

West Ham begins 2020 with a visit from 16th-place Bournemouth on Wednesday (Watch live, 12:30 p.m. ET, on NBC Sports Gold).