David Moyes says West Ham will ‘love it’ if he turns them into the new Everton
New boss hopes to match success he had at Goodison - especially the last two years when they finished above Liverpool
DAVID MOYES reckons West Ham fans would love him to turn them into another Everton.
The Scot managed at Goodison Park for 11 years, guiding them to one FA Cup final in 2009 and qualifying four times for the Europa League.
In terms of Premier League finishes, Moyes took Everton to fourth once, two fifth places and two sixth spots.
And the new Hammers boss said: “If West Ham end up getting the Everton team from when I left, they will be loving it because we had a great team in the last two years.
“We finished above Liverpool in those last two seasons and we were regulars in the Europa League.”
Moyes insists it is vital that senior players — such as Joe Hart, Pablo Zabaleta, Javier Hernandez and Andy Carroll — take responsibility on the field.
He said: “We need them with the stuff we’re going to implement and the work we’re going to do.
“They need to be there and say, ‘Yeah, we know what we’ve got to do’.
“You prepare and organise them during the week and then they have a responsibility — that’s why these players are paid good wages.
“They can’t just look at the manager and say, ‘We need him to tell us what to do’ when defending a corner or whatever.”
Moyes failed to keep Sunderland in the Premier League last season after a truly awful campaign.
But he does not believe he or West Ham will have any such worries.
He said: “There is a stronger squad of players here. It will be difficult to identify necessarily an 11.
“I’m sure many people will pick different teams but there is a group of players here, where realistically 15 or 16 could potentially be starting every Saturday.
“I don’t think West Ham have a bad team. There are wins there.”
Moyes believes his predecessor Slaven Bilic, who he calls a “good friend”, was unlucky to be sacked.
He added: “He was unlucky to lose a late goal against Burnley to draw and he was unlucky to do the same to draw with Crystal Palace. Small margins, can alter results.
“If that had been different, maybe Slaven would still be here.”
One player who is already familiar to Moyes is striker Hernandez, who he managed at Manchester United.
Little Pea did not get too much of a look-in under him at Old Trafford.
But Moyes said: “He is top scorer here at the moment and a brilliant finisher. He needs balls in the box, regular crosses, balls played through.
“It was difficult for him at Manchester United because I had Robin van Persie, Wayne Rooney and Danny Welbeck, so there was lots of competition to get him in.
“It was also the same for him when he was playing for Sir Alex Ferguson. But I’m looking forward to him coming back from the international break.”
Unfortunately for Moyes, he may have to wait a little longer to use Hernandez as the player suffered a hamstring injury during Mexico’s 3-3 friendly clash with Belgium on Friday.
But when he is fit again, Moyes said: “He won’t be getting any special treatment.
“If he is scoring goals and working hard, he will be in. It will be the same for the rest of the team.”
Moyes was always impressed with the atmosphere West Ham fans generated at their former Upton Park home.
But now they are playing in the vast London Stadium, which has been heavily criticised for its lack at atmosphere in comparison.
Yet Moyes believes the fans should turn their new home into a cauldron of atmosphere, saying: “It is an unbelievable facility.
“We have to get our mindset away from using the stadium as an excuse.
“The club has done everything it could to try to make it compact, this is our home. It has not been a great record so far but we’ve got to try to find a way of getting more wins here.
“The West Ham supporters can be intimidating so I can’t see why they can’t create that atmosphere from a distance.
“Sometimes you go to other stadiums and you can be up in the Gods. We don’t say too much about that.
“Away supporters can be miles away but are still passionate for the team and support the players.”
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