London, Feb 27: West Ham manager David Moyes says he will leave discussions over a new contract until the end of the season, but has no plans to “be going away”.
Moyes had been coming under pressure from some supporters after a poor run of results, but watched his side bounce back in style with a 4-2 win against Brentford, led by Jarrod Bowen’s first career hat-trick.
Moyes steered West Ham to the Europa Conference League title last season, their first major trophy for 43 years.
Asked about discussions over a new deal, Moyes said: “When you get to my age you can sign contracts whenever you feel ready to do so.
“It’s probably getting pushed more by the media than anyone else. We’re all happy to wait until closer to the end of the season.”
Asked whether he wanted to be part of more big wins at London Stadium like on Monday night, he told Sky Sports: “I’ll not be going away, that’s for sure.
“I enjoy it here, the club has been good to me. We have really enjoyed the football over the years. When you think we were a relegation team not so long ago and now we are up around Europe.”
West Ham had not won a game in 2024 before Monday night, with their last fixture at London Stadium a 6-0 loss to Arsenal that saw hundreds of home fans leave at half-time.
But the Hammers responded in style as they went 2-0 up inside 10 minutes against the struggling Bees.
Bowen got his first goal in the fifth minute with a strike that went in off the post, before the England forward scored again two minutes later as he slotted in Vladimir Coufal’s pass.
Neal Maupay swiftly halved the deficit with a scooped finish, then Brentford had claims for a penalty waved away when Mohammed Kudus nudged Sergio Reguilon over inside the box.A nervous spell followed as Brentford threatened to level but Bowen headed home his third midway through the second half, much to the relief of the Hammers fans.
Emerson capped a perfect night for West Ham, taking a touch before lashing a fantastic strike into the top corner from 25 yards, and although Yoane Wissa scored a second for Brentford it was not enough to deny the hosts victory.
West Ham move up to eighth in the Premier League while Brentford stay 16th, five points above the relegation zone.As well as last year’s success in Europe, Moyes has regularly had his side battling in the top half of the table, but he has come under pressure recently following a run of poor results.
The 6-0 loss to Arsenal was followed by a 2-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest, which led to some fans holding up banners calling for him to go.It prompted Moyes to defend his record at the club, but there is no doubt he needed a positive result and performance against Brentford to avoid further calls for his departure.
He could hardly have hoped for a better outcome, and had Bowen to thank for that. (Agencies)
