David Moyes prepared to make his West Ham players cry in order to avoid Premier League relegation

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David Moyes, the new manager of West Ham United, has warned his players that he may need to leave some of them in tears in order to steer the club away from the relegation zone.

Moyes, appointed as Slaven Bilic’s replacement at the London Stadium, held his first press conference in the role on Wednesday and revealed that he plans to employ a far more aggressive approach than he did in his most recent managerial jobs.

Bilic’s training methods came under scrutiny during the final weeks of his reign after it was reported that several members of West Ham’s first-team squad felt the Croat’s pre-season programme had not left them fit enough to compete in the Premier League.

Statistics showing that West Ham, currently third-bottom in the Premier League, had made the fewest sprints and covered the least distance of any top-flight team only supported those claims and Moyes is determined to push the players hard on the training ground, even if his methods risk upsetting some.

“I want to be more aggressive again,” the Scot said. “In my youth I was a bit: 'This is how it is, take it or leave it.' As you get older you mellow in different ways. In this job, I'm having to go back to the David Moyes at Preston where the players were crying at their work, or even Everton in the early days as well.

“If the players are thinking the work's not hard enough or we've not done enough, I hope they don't cry now when we turn around and work them harder, or say: 'This is too much.' Somewhere along the line, responsibility has to be taken by the players.

“I'd never say the players weren't fit because it's a terrible thing for a new manager to say against a former manager,” he said on Bilic’s methods. “I'm 100 per cent not saying that at all, but it's been brought to my attention that they could be doing a bit more so we'll try and implement it and see how it works.

“I think it's harder to be the way I was,” Moyes added. “The way the players are… there may be different influences from different countries as well, it's a different culture to how they expect it. But I'm saying I'm in a bit of rush now and if you don't like it sorry. We might need to upset a few people to get where we want to go.”

Moyes’ appointment has been met with a mixed reception from West Ham’s support, with the former Everton manager having failed at each of the three clubs he has managed since leaving Goodison Park.

The 54-year-old Scot was sacked by both Manchester United and Real Sociedad before resigning as manager of Sunderland last May, having presided over a dismal campaign that saw the Wearside club relegated to the Championship.

West Ham only offered Moyes a contract until the end of the season and co-chairman David Sullivan admitted on Tuesday that the appointment was “a gamble”.

Moyes, in response, called his appointment “a good gamble” and claimed to have no problem with the length of his contract as he believes long managerial spells, like his 11-year tenure at Everton, may be a thing of the past.

“I think now, management might not be 11 years in a row,” he added, referring to his time on Merseyside. “You might see it, you might see four or five years, but you won't see managers doing long periods because of the intensity of the job. It might be that you go in for a period for a few years, come out for a short time then go back in.

“I think normally the question you would get is: 'What's your vision for the future? Where's it going to go?' I don't think you get the time now to necessarily have it. I think while you're in the job you work on it.

“If I said to you I've signed a four-year contract, would it make any difference? In truth it doesn't mean an awful lot.”

When asked whether he expected to remain in the role if he succeeds this season, Moyes said: “Yes, I would think so. If the job's good enough, but it gives both parties a chance to see each other.

“I say it often about loan players - you get a chance to see the loan player, if he's good enough you keep him, if he's not then he goes back to his parent club. No different for me now.”

Previous West Ham managers have been criticised for failing to play in ‘the West Ham way’, with sections of the club’s support insisting that attractive football should not be sacrificed in the name of results.

Moyes, however, is only prioritising Premier League survival and urged supporters to get behind the players, particularly at the London Stadium.

“I think winning covers a multitude of sins,” he said. “If you're at the top, you talk about the style. In our position, the only thing we should be talking about is trying to win.

“I think we need supporters to get behind the players. It's a tough place to play for the opposition, we don't want it to be a tough place to play for the home players. We want them to feel they're getting support - to feel that whatever happens, it's our team.

“Things will go wrong, there's no doubt. Everything can't go swimmingly, it's just not possible. When it's not going well, we need them. I hope they stick with us and stay behind us.

“Coming to Upton Park you were ‘feart’, if you understand what ‘feart’ is, a Scottish word. You were ‘feart’ driving in because you knew it was coming. I don't see why it should be different. Different surroundings yes, but no reason why it should be different. That's the way we want it to be.”