Stuart Pearce set to be named assistant manager to David Moyes at West Ham
Psycho will join Moyes at his old club after Slaven Bilic sacking as Hammers fight to beat relegation
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NEW West Ham boss David Moyes will go for Stuart Pearce to help them beat the drop.
Moyes starts work at the troubled London club today — less than 24 hours after Slaven Bilic’s sacking.
Bilic said he was “sad” to get the chop but added: “It’s a very logical move, there are no hard feelings.”
Former Manchester United boss Moyes, 54, has agreed a deal until the end of the season, which includes a relatively low basic wage but a bonus of around £1million if he keeps the floundering Hammers — who sit in the relegation zone — in the Premier League.
And the Scot is desperate to get former England and West Ham left-back Pearce on to his coaching staff alongside Alan Irvine, his former No 2 from Everton.
Pearce last night revealed he would be interested in a coaching role. He told talkSPORT: “I’ve had no contact with West Ham but if I had I would certainly talk to them.”
Bilic was summoned for a meeting with club co-chairman David Sullivan yesterday where his 2¼-season reign came to an end with the Hammers languishing in 18th place after winning just two of their 11 Prem matches.
The Croat said: “There are no hard feelings. I can be very proud of my work here.
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“We didn’t start this crucial season well. As in many clubs across Europe, the manager is the one who pays the price. It’s a very logical move.
“I am sad it hasn’t worked out in the way we wanted this season. But I leave with my head held high, along with some wonderful memories that I will always cherish.”
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His assistants Nikola Jurcevic, Edin Terzic, Julian Dicks and Miljenko Rak have also left but West Ham retained goalkeeping coach Chris Woods, who has worked with Moyes before.
However, many Hammers fans are in uproar at Bilic’s axing despite their plight.
Ironically, he leaves West Ham as statistically their most successful Premier League manager, recording a better points-per-game ratio (1.33) than any of his predecessors.
The club hierarchy are “surprised” at the negative reaction and, in a joint statement on the club’s website, owners Sullivan and David Gold admitted the decision to sack Bilic had been made with “heavy hearts”.
They added: “During the summer, the board invested heavily, signing the players Slaven believed would complete the squad he needed to push the club back towards the level we had reached in his first season, and we believe we have the players capable of doing that.
“We have not seen enough indication of the required improvement to give us the encouragement things would change and we would meet our Premier League aspirations this season.”
One of Moyes’ first priorities is to improve the fitness level of the squad. The former Sunderland boss is equally determined to rehabilitate himself in the coaching world after two sackings and a relegation in his last three jobs.
Moyes will get money to spend in the January transfer window, with centre-back Lamine Kone a target, but he must also balance the books by clearing some players out too.