“Hard work is the absolute minimum” David Moyes’ second West Ham debut

West Ham had their biggest win since November 2007 with the 4-0 win over Bournemouth to kick of 2020 in style. Here’s how the new manager got the Hammers in order for the match.

One thing was very clear from David Moyes on the West Ham touchline, he is a man-manager and thrives on his players having personal connections to him in regards to tactical setup. He showed this with his reception to the substituted Felipe Anderson, embrace of Angelo Ogbonna post-game, and his reliance on Mark Noble to echo his plan on the pitch.

The Hammers’ win over Bournemouth is more reflective of the players than their new manager. That being said, wanting to impress him and get him started on the right foot kind of bridges this divide and makes the result an all-encompassing win for West Ham United, rather than just a subsection of the team.

In Noble’s message to the fans, as board created as is may be, Noble referenced the veteran core of the team and their belief in Moyes to guide the squad forward.

"David Moyes knows the Club and he knows a lot of the players and the players he worked with – myself, Manu, Angelo, Arthur, Cress, Dec, Reidy, Michail and Zaba – really liked and respected him and the way he worked when he was here. He got players playing to their full potential and I hope and believe he can do it again.”"

This is important because it suggests that the groundwork has already been done for more than half of the squad as far as embracing Moyes’ tactics and setups. The use of Sebastien Haller, Pablo Fornals, and Felipe Anderson today shows that the new manager is allowing their skill to dictate their playstyles, rather than shoe-horning the players into a rigid system.

In his post-match interview, Moyes described himself as “tired from the first game, but, overall thrilled because the players made it easy for me today.” That is a fair assessment, but Moyes focuses on being transparent, prioritizing enjoyment of football for both supporters and his players, and improving week after week has the West Ham faithful happily applauding his humility and foresight after a perfect debut back in East London.