David Moyes
This is the club’s designated rainbow laces fixture and I know that you personally at West Ham are very passionate about inclusion and a unified world where everyone is welcome for who they are.
Even more so at this time. Everybody’s inclusive and more than welcome here at West Ham.
Any team news for tomorrow?
We’ve got a doubt about Aaron Cresswell, but he’s been out today so we’re hopeful that he’s not too bad. We’ll see how he is.
What are your thoughts on Brighton?
Every team who plays Brighton understands that they can cause you problems, play with a really good style and have made a good start to the season. I think Graham Potter’s done a really good job. They’ve gone about their work really well. If you asked me last season who I’d tip to improve, I’d say Brighton. I think just overall they’re a well-run football club and Graham’s a really good manager.
Potter responded quite sharply to Brighton fans who booed them in their last match after drawing with Leeds
They’re really lucky to have Graham Potter as a manager and you shouldn’t forget that. He’s a top manager. He’s got a really good team and, we all get booed at times in our career. You just have to move on and I’m sure Graham knows what he’s doing more than the people who booed.
Fourth in the table, last eight of League Cup and last 16 of Europa League, how highly do you rate this start to the season?
It is right up there with the best. I have been at some clubs where we might have started slightly better others we’ve started worse but I think the big thing I’ve got is a really good team. I think a group of players who are competitive, we are working on changing the mentality and I think when it comes December the 28th or so this year, I will have been here two years. So you have to think that the turnaround the players have made in that period has been great. We’ve added some players to it which has made a difference but overall it is mainly the same group of players so they deserve huge credit for what they’ve done. But let’s be fair, we are still we’re still trying I’m still trying to build the club, grow the club. Eighteen months at the moment isn’t a long period to be at one club, but look at it and I think that the players and staff as we have made decent progress.
This is your 50th Premier League game for West Ham at home and also on the last seven Premier League matches you played on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday you are unbeaten.
Let’s hope it continues! The level of the Premier League, it’s so tough to win the games. Everybody’s in a batch of more fixtures at the moment so results could be strange, and it’s not easy to call the winners of any game
Given that you will be competing on the four fronts in the new year due to your success. Just how important you think it is to bring in reinforcements in January?
I think if it was as easy as buying players then I think we would all do it so I’m not sure that it’s just as easy as saying go and buy players and you’ll do better. I think West Ham have bought quite a lot of players in the past and to be able to spend the money which the supporters asked them to do. But if you don’t get that right then it’s it makes it very difficult and it doesn’t always work. So I think you have to buy the right players then you might need players who need time to settle in. So of course we’d like to strengthen and of course, we want you to keep improving and challenge the teams at the top. But say it sounds as if the question you’re asking it is dead easy just go and spend more money and that makes it better. I don’t really believe that as the answer to.
Declan Rice was quoted yesterday saying that he wants to play Champions League football, and he wants to play Champions League football with West Ham. How reassuring is that to hear?
Yes, it is a message to us all. W e’ve been here two years. Two years ago, we had to avoid relegation in the last nine games after lockdown. We’ve done it and now you’re talking about you know, we want a team who’s in the Champions League. So that’s the difference. That’s the change in the mentality. That’s a change in the way the players are thinking and the positivity we’ve got around the place. I’ve got a really good team. I’m enjoying working with them. I’m enjoying challenging them to get better. I think we can play better than we’re playing. I’ve said that a few times, but I think at this present time, we certainly can. So I’m hopeful of lifting it up again and getting back playing very well again.
Obviously, you didn’t get the result that you wanted at Manchester City, but certainly, again, elements of the performance that continue to give you this platform to keep building?
I would like to say we were no different to PSG. We went there to try to win but they just happen to have something slightly different to us but we tried another way to get a result and we looked to do it but both of the clubs found it very difficult to wrestle, possession away from Man City but I thought we did a really good job and not a really good job because we didn’t take any points, but we always gave ourselves a chance of getting something from the game, going to Man City and doing that is not a bad thing.
Ben Johnson is such a talent.
He’s a great boy to work with and he has had to wait because we have a few right-backs at the moment and I wouldn’t say lucky but he got his opportunity through a couple injuries and he’s come in and he’s shown us what he can do. With his development he needs to keep going, he needs to keep it up and keep the standards high. We’ve been really pleased with Ben. He had a really good game against Raheem Sterling, as he did again here at the London Stadium when we played them in the cup as well. So I have to say, well done Ben he has started the season really well.
He has kept Vladimir Coufal out of the team who was so good for you last season and that is testament to him.
What happens sometimes is you get a chance, you get an opportunity. I say to all the young players you say to any player who’s in the squad, that if you get that opportunity you have got to try and get a hold of the jersey. Sometimes you need a couple of games. Ben got it because of injuries to Vladimir and Ryan at the time and he’s taking it and he’s certainly earned his position and the chance to get that jersey.
This is the start of three homes games how much can that help?
Hugely. There’s a different in the stadium now. We are on the back of three away games to Wolves, Rapid Vienna, and Man City. So having three home games wil will hopefully try and use it to an advantage, the crowds have been brilliant in the stadium and we need them all the time.
A couple of Premier League defeats, does that affect morale?
Quite a few Premier League wins helps. phe wins and the way we’ve been playing has given this huge belief and I don’t think not winning at Man City would necessarily give us a huge dent. But overall I do think that we want to get back on it. We want to get back winning. So I take the point and I I understand it if we’re going to be competitive and continue to be competitive we have to pick up points and it doesn’t matter where it is.
Pick your team to face Brighton below.
I wanted us to compete against the big teams, but competing also means winning games as well. We competed really well against Liverpool here a few weeks ago and beat them. We competed well against Man City, but we couldn’t get a result against them. So that will happen in games because we’re just not quite at that level yet, but we want you to try and keep pushing for it.
Brighton are a bit of a boegy team for West Ham and you. Do you know why?
I think they’ve got a good team, they have a good manager. I think they’re playing in a style that can disrupt you a little bit, but I think overall a really good team good football team.
You are one Premier League win away from being third behind only Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson, what would that mean?
That you that has made me smile! I’ll be thrilled if that’s the case, I am thrilled and I’ve got to obviously try and keep pushing on and get more wins and I will. The team I’ve got here will win more games. The players I have got and the mentality we’ll get that chance but I’ve got to say it’s not bad getting named in the same category as Sir Alex and Arsene Wenger.
