Sports
David Moyes: West Ham manager’s long goodbye ends – what will his legacy be?
Yet that overlooks a significant point.
Hammers fans pay to watch their team. While there is widespread appreciation for what Moyes has achieved, a growing number are fed up at the way he has gone about it.
In an era of high press, risk-taking, front-foot football, they view Moyes as a largely defensive coach.
This is unfair. There are times – the 5-0 win against Freiburg and second-leg salvage mission in the Europa League quarter-final against Bayer Leverkusen – when West Ham are a thrilling team to watch.
However, the sentiment after those games tends to be ‘why can’t we play like that every week’?
In addition, they see a development pathway strong enough to produce last season’s FA Youth Cup winners that hardly supplies any players for the first team.
With the exception of Rice, the only regular homegrown member of Moyes’ squad has been ex-England U21s defender Ben Johnson, who is expected to leave in the summer.
This was anticipated to be a breakthrough season for 19-year-old striker Divin Mubama. The local boy is yet to start a domestic game and has not come off the bench since the draw with Sheffield United at Bramall Lane in January.
Moyes is not averse to using young players. But he needs to be sure they are capable of performing at the high level required.
He was slated over the £18m departure of Grady Diangana in 2020. Current sporting director Mark Noble – captain at the time – was among those to voice his disapproval. Diangana has gone on to make over 130 appearances for West Brom, most of them in the Championship, a third of them as a substitute.
Supporters can have their opinions, Moyes believes he knows whether players are good enough or not – and acts accordingly.
He has tried to make West Ham less reliant on the counter-attack.
While he sidelined record signing Sebastian Haller when he returned for a second stint as manager in December 2019 – and a second demand to drag the club clear of relegation trouble – the £30.5m arrival of Italy forward Gianluca Scamacca on a five-year deal in 2022 was supposed to be part of a new era.
But after a decent start Scamacca went nine games up to the World Cup without a goal as West Ham slipped down the table. Apart from three substitute appearances, he didn’t play from January until the end of the season. The Hammers needed to scrap to survive and Moyes was forced to revert to type.
Sports
West Ham set to appoint Julen Lopetegui as new manager
West Ham are set to appoint Julen Lopetegui as their new manager later this week.
The former Spain and Real Madrid coach was identified as the Hammers’ first choice to replace outgoing boss David Moyes and, earlier this month, agreed to take up the role.
Now the Premier League season is over, Lopetegui’s contract will be signed, allowing him to take over for the start of pre-season, which includes a two-week trip to the United States for matches against Crystal Palace and Wolves.
Ironically, Lopetegui spent the second half of the 2022-23 season with Wolves, guiding the club to safety. However, he left on the eve of the new campaign after issues over transfer funding failed to get resolved.
Moyes revealed after Sunday’s 3-1 defeat at Manchester City that he has already received job offers but is likely to spend some time with his family after getting only three weeks off last summer.
The Scot has agreed media commitments with BBC Sport and Talksport at this summer’s European Championships.
Former Spain and Real Madrid coach Lopetegui won the Europa League with Sevilla in 2020 before moving to Wolves two years later.
Sports
Nelly Korda: World number one wins Americas Open for sixth win in seven tournaments
Nelly Korda secured her sixth victory in seven tournaments by winning the Mizuho Americas Open on Sunday.
The 25-year-old’s level-par 71 saw her win on 14 under, one shot clear of Australian Hannah Green at the Liberty National Golf Course in Jersey City.
Korda started the final day with a two-shot lead but had three bogeys and one birdie on the front nine to be level with Green at the halfway point.
After matching each other down the stretch it was the Australian who blinked first, missing a par putt on the 18th that would have forced a play-off.
The victory means American Korda bounced back at the first opportunity after her winning streak of five came to an end at last week’s Cognizant Founders Cup.
The world number one’s run had included last month’s Chevron Championship, the first major of the season.
It was Korda’s 14th LPGA Tour victory as she became the first American to win six or more times in a season since Beth Daniel won seven times in 1990. American legend Mickey Wright holds the record with 13 victories in 1963.
Korda will next turn her attention to the US Women’s Open at Lancaster Country Club, which begins on 30 May.
Sports
Ian Wright's emotional Match of the Day montage
Watch Match of the Day’s tribute to Ian Wright as the Arsenal legend steps down as a pundit, 27 years after his first studio appearance on the show.
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