When David Moyes returned to West Ham in December 2019, the team were once again on the cusp of a relegation battle.
Move the clock forward just four years and the Scot has enjoyed unprecedented success at the club, steering the Hammers to three auccessive last eight appearances in European competition.
It’s now the case that West Ham playing in Europe – whether that be the Europa League (twice) or the Conference League (once, winners) – is as common an occurrence as playing in the Premier League. That the latter is all but guaranteed is testament to Moyes on its own, but adding the former too is further evidence of the club’s progression under his guidance.
Often too it has been the case that his tactical approach to individual matches has failed to satisfy the demands of some sections of the fanbase, but few even amongst those fans were left feeling short-changed tonight following a brilliant performance against a shellshocked Freiburg.
And speaking to the media during his post-match briefing, Moyes expressed delight – if not necessarily “pride”! – in his record since returning to Stratford for a second crack of the whip.
“I am really pleased able to give West Ham something,” he said. “I didn’t want to be managing team at the bottom of league. I wanted to be managing a team challenging and, in the main, we have been that.
“The club has moved on so much in the last few years. Avoiding relegation, making Europe, getting there a second year, winning a trophy, and now a quarter-final. It is a brilliant achievement. It is hard to say how good it has been and we have also brought in some really good players.”
And on Mo Kudus, one of his most recent recruits, Moyes particularly enjoyed the way his Ghanaian ‘Superboy’ danced through the Freiburg defence to score West Ham’s fourth goal of the evening.
“The first one reminded me of those old dribbling wingers who used to run and take people on, with snakey hips to find a way through,” joked Moyes. “It was a brilliant individual goal – a real Roy of the Rovers type goal.”
You may watch the rest of Moyes press conference below.
