‘I could have walked out’: West Ham boss David Moyes says he doesn’t blame fans for leaving early as they got a ‘good SPANKING’ in a 5-1 home defeat to Newcastle… but vows to continue fighting in the middle of relegation battle
David Moyes said he doesn’t blame fans for leaving the stadium en masse during West Ham’s embarrassing beating at the hands of Newcastle – and said he would do the same.
The Scot’s task looks increasingly perilous as the Hammers move out of the relegation zone on goal difference alone and the London Stadium was less than half full with 10 minutes to play.
“I could have walked away, I know how it works,” said a dejected Moyes. “But when things go bad, then you stand up to be a real supporter.
“We had good times coming into Europe, now we have bad times. I have no qualms about them leaving with a result like that.
‘I’m a big boy. I have left jobs at other times and when this one comes up I will have to take it. I thoroughly enjoyed my time and I still hope there are days ahead of us.
David Moyes must prepare West Ham for a powerful relegation battle before the end of the season
“We’ve taken a beating and it’s up to us to show how we can recover from it.”
Asked about Moyes’ future, captain Declan Rice added: “I enjoy working with the manager, as do the players. How he is as a man, he is great with us.
“Fans give their opinion, they want to see results and performances.
‘It’s heavy, you have to shut out the noise, as captain I have to keep the boys on it.
“I’ve been in a relegation battle before at West Ham and there was negativity, but there isn’t that with this group of lads.
Star player Declan Rice (center right) made a dejected figure after the last white
But despite a 5-1 win, Eddie Howe believed his team was far from their best on the road
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe felt his team was not at its best.
“We weren’t perfect today,” he said. West Ham made a good game of it. But when our opportunities came, we took them.
“We were annoyed with the level of our performance. I’m not necessarily too critical of the team. I don’t think we were great today.’
Asked about two-goal Callum Wilson, who has scored 12 goals in 13 games against West Ham, Howe added: ‘I can’t rate Callum higher than me. I am aware of his record against West Ham and that played a part in his selection.’