West Ham United announced the appointment of David Moyes as their new manager on Tuesday morning, with the Scot handed a deal until the end of the season.

The move came less than 24 hours after they had sacked Slaven Bilic, with the club heading into the international break in 18th position in the Premier League table following the 4-1 defeat to Liverpool at the London Stadium on Saturday.

That result proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Bilic following a number of disappointing performances and results this term, but some Irons fans certainly aren’t pleased that Moyes is the popular Croatian’s successor – whether it is a short-term move or not – with many expressing their ill-feelings on Twitter.

West Ham have certainly covered their backs a little by only initially taking the 54-year-old until the end of the campaign, which suggests that either they trust him to keep them in the Premier League before they look for a new manager next summer, or that they want him to prove himself first before they commit to handing him a long-term contract.

Considering the lack of success he has had during his time in charge of Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland after enjoying an 11-year spell with Everton, that second scenario would be of little surprise considering the huge hit his reputation has taken.

Let’s start by looking at his record with the Red Devils when he was handed the almost impossible task of trying to replace and replicate the results and success that Sir Alex Ferguson had brought for so many years beforehand.

It was always going to be a tough mission with a United squad that was getting weaker and going through a transitional stage, and even though he had a win record of almost 53%, 15 defeats in 51 matches in total were enough to see the Scot shown the door.

The problem was that Moyes perhaps didn’t have the same pull for new signings as someone like Sir Alex or Jose Mourinho, and it meant that he was probably never cut out for a job that put so much pressure on to his shoulders.

While there was certainly no shame in the fact that he struggled at Old Trafford, his records at Real Sociedad and Sunderland since are a little more concerning.

Of course, managing in Spain for the first time is never easy as many La Liga clubs already have a set way of playing, meaning it is difficult to put across your ideas and for the players to respect your tactical decisions.

Not too many British managers have succeeded abroad, and 12 wins from 42 matches was deemed simply not good enough when Moyes was sacked in November 2015.

His time with Sunderland was even worse, but it seems certain that there was a lot more to it than perhaps initially meets the eye.

While he was the manager that was in charge for their relegation to the Championship, it was something that had been on the cards for a number of years as the Mackems frequently flirted with the drop before somehow escaping.

However, you only have a certain number of lives and by the 2016/17 season it had just reached a point where that wasn’t possible again, and their poor recruitment and off-the-pitch issues finally caught up with them.

The Black Cats simply weren’t good enough and they went down with a whimper back at the end of April, but it would be hard to argue that Moyes was compltely to blame in the circumstances considering they were a sinking ship under the leadership of Ellis Short.

The fact that Sunderland are currently bottom of the Championship also tells its own story and suggests that the problems are far more deep-rooted than just being down to the players or the manager.

The Premier League seems to be a different league this year and while Irons fans may want the club to play the ‘West Ham way’, the more direct style of football that Moyes is likely to implement could be more effective.

The likes of Burnley and newly-promoted duo Brighton and Hove Albion and Huddersfield Town sit in the top-half of the English top flight despite them only scoring 29 goals in 33 matches between them, and it suggests that being tight at the back and trying to nick a goal is the way to get success right now.

Moyes built a team during his time with Everton that was synonymous for being tough to beat, organised, energetic and aggressive, and those are all traits that haven’t really been seen from the West Ham players this season and will surely be welcomed back by the fans with open arms.

The 54-year-old has plenty of Premier League experience and he has far better squad to work with at the London Stadium than he had at Sunderland, and that will only benefit his ability to produce entertaining performances and pick up results consistently.

While the Irons supporters may be concerned and unhappy at the Scot’s appointment right now, it won’t be long until they see the fruits of his labour and enjoying watching their team compete again.

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