David Moyes says it ‘feels great to be home’ after he was re-appointed as West Ham manager.
Manuel Pellegrini was sacked by the Hammers following their 2-1 defeat to Leicester on Saturday and the club moved quickly to appoint Moyes, who returns to the London Stadium following an interim spell during the 2017/18 season.
The 56-year-old guided the Hammers to safety in his first spell at the club before they decided not to offer him a new contract and instead appointed Pellegrini.
He will take immediate charge of the team ahead of their New Year’s Day fixture against Bournemouth.
Moyes spoke to West Ham TV about his return to the club and said his first job is to ensure their status as a Premier League club.
He said: “It’s fabulous to be back. It feels great to be home. I’ve missed being here because I really enjoyed it. I enjoyed being around the stadium and I loved being in this part of the world and I missed the club, so I can’t wait to get started.
“I’m feeling very proud that I’m back here at West Ham. But I think more importantly I’ll be looking to see what I can do and what I can make improvements to, how we can get some wins with the players and how we can get some quick wins on the field as well.
“The job first and foremost is to make sure we get away from this position. But I do believe that the squad of players I’ve got here is a better squad of players than when I took over before, so I am looking forward to working with them and I am looking forward to meeting them as I’ve not met them yet.
“I want to hear what they’ve got to say and I want to see what fits best for the club, but ultimately I want to play good football, I want to play exciting football and I want to give everybody something to cheer about and shout about.”
The appointment may come as a surprise to some as the club chose not to offer him a long-term contract after he kept them in the Premier League 18 months ago.
Moyes explained why he is the right man to lead West Ham forward.
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He added: “The first thing I have to say is that I’m incredibly experienced, I’ve got an awful lot of games in the Premier League, I’ve been around, and I still feel very young.
“I’m very active in knowing what’s new in football. The big thing for me is to show what I have and exactly what I can bring to the club and I think, over many years, I have done. I still think I have more to give West Ham and I want to show it.
“What we need is the players to buy into everything we want. I want to give the crowd something to shout about and cheer about. I am a football supporter and always have been and I know what the supporters want – they want to see action and they want to see commitment from the players.
“So, what I will guarantee is that me and the staff will try and get every drop out of the players that we can and hopefully, in turn, it will get us further up the league. Then, I really want to try and build something that looks good for the future.”
David Moyes on playing with David Beckham at Preston
Moyes takes over a West Ham side who sit just one point above the relegation places.
He will not have much time to work with the team before their clash at home to Bournemouth on New Year’s Day.
When asked what it would feel like walking out at the London Stadium again, he said: “I’m going to be feeling very proud that I’m back here at West Ham. But I think more importantly I’ll be looking to see what I can do and what I can make improvements to, how we can get some wins with the players and how we can get some quick wins on the field as well. The start is really focusing on the immediate games.
“First and foremost, we’re going to try and get them all to work together. I think it’s easier to regain confidence as a group than it is individually, as the group makes you better, so I’m looking forward to getting with them and actually letting them know what they can do.
“We’re going to trust them and overall the players are going to have to be brave enough to take the ball and play, but also we’re going to have to defend better and also going to have to attack better.”