There is a certain irony to West Ham relying, once again, on David Moyes to help them avoid relegation. Unless the Scot can mastermind a win against Tottenham on Sunday, West Ham are down. Even a draw would leave them needing to beat Leeds United by 12 goals – a record margin that would go against all the evidence they have presented this season.
Moyes saved West Ham from relegation twice – and delivered a first major trophy in 43 years – but it did not stop them dispensing with him, for a second time, in May 2024. In one sense, West Ham can feel hard done by; they will go down with the highest points total in a decade if relegated. Newcastle were relegated with 37 points in 2016, and West Ham already have 36. But they have only themselves to blame after deciding Moyes’s football was not exciting enough.
Moyes was always the stabiliser, steering them to safety in 2017 and again after returning in 2019. He then led them to sixth- and seventh-placed finishes and a Europa Conference League trophy before being sacked for a second time. Julen Lopetegui lasted six months; Graham Potter eight. Nuno Espírito Santo sparked a fleeting recovery in November, but a winless run left them adrift, though he briefly lifted them out of the relegation zone with six victories before form collapsed.
Nuno has not changed anything this week. “The same approach, the same routine, the same dedication,” he said. Sunday will follow the usual matchday pattern: a team meeting, arrival at the stadium, and detailed preparations. Nuno told his players: “There’s no other thing you can impact, only yours, so what do you have to focus on? Your game.”
The news that Jarrod Bowen has not earned a place in Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad has not helped. Nuno spoke to the forward on Friday, telling him: “Life is like that, that some decisions you just have to respect.” Nuno added: “Jarrod doesn’t have to prove anything. He just has to be himself, the best of him and the best of all the players. That’s what we need on Sunday.”
If relegation comes, Bowen will be one of several key players likely to leave. Nuno, who signed a three-year contract in September, refused to be drawn on his future. “Our future is Sunday,” he said. “After that we will assess everything that we have to assess.”
