New West Ham United manager David Moyes has warned his players they must work harder to be considered part of the club’s future.
Moyes, who replaced the sacked Slaven Bilic on Monday,admitted he too had a point to prove after recent failures at Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland.
But with West Ham bottom of the Premier League table for distances covered during matches, Moyes was keen to lay down a strict rule to the squad – get running, or you’re out.
“They’re running the least and sprinting the least – I think they have to take a bit of responsibility and stand up,” the 54-year-old said at his first media conference.
“There’ll be no favours. If they don’t do the running, they’ll not play.
“We’ll give them the opportunity [to impress], we’ll give them the sessions. It’ll be tough for them but I want them to enjoy it as well.
“We’ve got a lot of organisation to do as well. Hopefully it’ll show because I’m in a hurry – and they’ll need to be as well.”
Moyes confirmed he hoped to bring former West Ham defender Stuart Pearce on to his backroom staff.
He also said he wanted to play an entertaining brand of football to live up to “the West Ham way” – but insisted winning comes first.
“Let’s get a winning formula,” he said.
“If I can win [by] attacking [and] entertaining, that’s the way I want my football to be played.
“I look forward to reaching the standards that they expect here and I think we can.”
