David Moyes has been appointed West Ham manager following the sacking of Manuel Pellegrini on Saturday night.
Moyes’ return to the London Stadium is a remarkable development. He was employed on a short-term deal with the Hammers during the 2017-18 season before making way for Pellegrini’s arrival.
The Scot has been out of work since, but the club moved quickly to bring him back with Moyes signing an 18-month deal.
He will take charge of his first game back at the club on New Year's Day at home to Bournemouth.
It’s fabulous to be back,” Moyes said. “It feels great to be home. I’ve missed being here because I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed being around the stadium and I loved being in this part of the world and I missed the club, so I can’t wait to get started.
“I'm feeling very proud that I’m back here at West Ham. But I think more importantly I’ll be looking to see what I can do and what I can make improvements to, how we can get some wins with the players and how we can get some quick wins on the field as well.
“I do believe that the squad of players I’ve got here is a better squad of players than when I took over before, so I am looking forward to working with them.
“I think there’s got to be a short-term goal for us just now to get the wins to get us away from the wrong end of the league and what we’re going to do over the next six months, then what we’re going to do over the next period as well. The start is really focusing on the immediate games.”
Joint-Chairman David Sullivan said: “David proved in his short time with the club that he was capable of getting results and we believe that he will start moving the Club in the right direction once again.
“We are delighted to welcome David back – he knows the club well and he built strong relationships during that time which will be crucial for the work that needs to be done going forward.”
West Ham are currently one point above the relegation zone following a run of nine defeats in 12 matches, but this is familiar territory for Moyes.
The Hammers were in the bottom three when he took over from Slaven Bilic back in November 2017 and he successfully guided the Hammers to survival.
And that six-month spell has seen him held in high-regard by the West Ham board.
Speaking after Pellegrini’s sacking, club legend Tony Cottee backed Moyes for the job, adding that he should have been given it in the first place.
"If you look at the last 12 games it's been a really poor run of form,” he told Sky Sports. "The board have looked at it and thought we've got a massive game against Bournemouth on New Year's Day and we've got to make a decision. Fair play to them for doing that.
"Just because you're a Premier League winner with Manchester City doesn't mean you can do the same thing with West Ham. They are two completely different football clubs.
"David Moyes should have been given the job and given the time and the money that Pellegrini was given."
