David Moyes says West Ham United’s target must be to find a greater level of consistency in their play next season.
After guiding the Hammers to Premier League safety with a 2-0 win at Leicester City on Saturday, the manager spoke to the media about how to ensure the Club is not dragged into another relegation battle in 2018/19.
With all three promoted teams potentially staying up and three seemingly established Premier League clubs facing the drop, the 2017/18 season has been among the most competitive in recent history.
Indeed, so close has been the competition that West Ham could yet secure a top-ten finish, despite the fact they have spent virtually the entire season in the bottom half.
To do so, they will have to win three straight league games for the first time this campaign – a level of consistency Moyes craves.
I want to be challenging the top teams and have a team that, most weeks, I have an idea of what their level of performance will likely be
David Moyes
“I always felt that the team was good enough to be looking up the league, rather than down, but there were some games we’d really have like to have done a lot better in, but we didn’t,” he reflected.
“With the runs teams like West Brom and Crystal Palace have been on, the bottom half of the league has been pretty exciting this season and I don’t think there is any guarantee that any one team is necessarily that much better than another.
“I must say, I think the three promoted teams who came up really put the cat among the pigeons when they found their form.
“I think it’s hard to judge how I’ve done this season. I actually would like to be a manager who wins games regularly. I don’t want to be a manager who is battling around relegation. I want to have winning teams.
“I had eleven years of, in the main, winning teams, and that’s what I want to do. I want to be challenging the top teams and have a team that, most weeks, I have an idea of what their level of performance will likely be, because that means I’m feeling a lot better every week, rather than wondering if we are up or down.
“Some of our performances here have been excellent and some I’ve wondered ‘Where did that come from?’.
“Consistency is getting yourself at a level of play and building it, and everybody would like consistency.”