Grading West Ham’s Depth in every position

Managers: B+

You can only judge a manager on what they do with what they’re given, the same goes for David Moyes. You could also factor in the detail that he had no backroom staff until February 7th where he picked up Paul Nevin and former Hammer captain Kevin Nolan to round out his staff. These weren’t his first choice coaches, as Stuart Pearce and Billy McKinley turned him down (or in Pearce’s case were shut down for criticizing the club).

Still, Nevin brought with him an incredible coaching pedigree including time spent on Gareth Southgate‘s staff with the England team for the World Cup, and specializes in coaching and improving youth players. Nevin’s addition to the team could be a major factor in the club changing transfer policies to under-25 players.

Nolan brings with him the pride of being a Hammer, the understanding of playing the West Ham way, lower-league managing experience, and a no-nonsense personality, too. It’s no coincidence that the Irons’ midfield settled with his (and Soucek’s) addition, as well as every player improving on discipline and positional responsibility. The intangibles make this a terrific hire and could pay dividends longterm.

Moyes cannot be overlooked here. He didn’t have too much pride to return to the club that sacked him when he held up his end of the bargain, and he has had some success with a disjointed team that was struggling when he signed on. He found a formation that fits his players, picked his best team, didn’t care who was benched and has made the team better defensively. He wasn’t a sexy hire but he’s won me over.

So, there we have it; the entire West Ham team graded on positional depth and examined for positional need. It isn’t the best team in the Premier League by any stretch, but there is a blueprint here for success and players able to facilitate Moyes’ plan to actually contend for European football. Agree or disagree? Let me know below!