Glen Johnson: West Ham have grown under Moyes and exciting times are ahead for the club

Former West Ham defender Glen Johnson believes West Ham were right to stick with David Moyes and that exciting times are ahead for the club’s supporters as the team continue to grow under the Scot’s stewardship.  

West Ham face another of Johnson’s old clubs this weekend as Liverpool make the trip to the London Stadium, which he told us he believes will be one of the biggest tests this season for the Reds given how well Moyes’ side are performing of late.

“David Moyes has learnt a lot since the first time he was there (at West Ham), and the players and fans are enjoying the football being played,” said Johnson.

“They deserve to be where they are in the table, and the fact that Moyes is getting that extra 5% out of everyone speaks volumes. When you have good players doing that, and working hard, then that’s what wins you football matches.

“You can’t buy success overnight, and you have to go through rough times and stick with the philosophy that you believe in, and that’s exactly what David has done. It’s like any business, you can’t expect to take over a team and get them to the top immediately. You have to build and create longevity, and that’s what we’re seeing from the Hammers.”

Johnson has been impressed with a number of West Ham players this season, and while he believes Declan Rice is the standout performer and someone who would be capable of playing for Liverpool, he also gave credit to an unsung hero for the Irons.

He said: “Declan Rice is the obvious standout for them this season so far, and he’d probably be the only one for me at West Ham who would be capable of playing for Liverpool, although even then he probably wouldn’t start for them because who would you drop?

“I was really happy to see Craig Dawson sign for them, and while he’s not a signing that’s going to keep West Ham fans up through the night with excitement, he’s steadied the ship and gave that foundation in defence to build on with his stability and experience. He might not start every game, but he’s been important to them.”

While the former England international is delighted to see West Ham currently occupying fourth spot in the top flight, he wouldn’t go as far as saying he expects the Hammers to be there at the end of the season, citing the length of the campaign and Moyes’ trim squad as potential stumbling blocks.

“It’s a long season and I doubt they have the squad to compete with the so-called top four teams across the course of a season, so it’s still early days but on games played and based on current form then you might say they can do it,” said Johnson. “But if they get some injuries over the course of a season then they’ll be affected by it so I wouldn’t expect them to get the Champions League spot – as much as I’d love them to.

“That said, after fighting relegation a few years ago, to see them now competing so well in the Premier League and in the Europa League is great to see and they deserve it. It’s amazing for the fans to experience this rather than having fears over relegation.”

Jurgen Klopp’s side will make the journey to London this weekend and Johnson is expecting a tough test for the title chasers, but still expects the Anfield outfit to come away with the three points on Sunday.

“It’s a tough place to go and it won’t be an easy game for Liverpool,” said Johnson. “They played well against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League, and I think the draw with Brighton last weekend was just a blip.

“I hope it’s a draw this weekend! I think Liverpool will have too much for West Ham though, but if they can nick a point they’ll be doing well. I’ll go for 2-1 Liverpool.”

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