David Moyes column: With anxiety gone, it’s key now we set smart targets

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David Moyes19 February 2021

When you’ve battled through a season like we did last year, the first thing you do is to sit down when the dust has settled and assess what needs to be done to avoid a similar situation.

It sounds simplistic but the truth is that the majority of Premier League managers’ first priority is to reach 40 points because then, you realistically know your Premier League status is guaranteed.

In reality it’s rare you need 40 but the way I’ve broken that down throughout my managerial career is to say you probably need to win ten games a season and then draw eight or nine more.

So, to reach 42 points so early, with 14 more Premier League games to go, means we don’t have to worry about another relegation battle and that release of pressure is a huge source of relief.

The first time I was at West Ham it was difficult, coping with that pressure to stay up but this time around it was in many ways it was even worse because it was so close right to the end.

Premier League - West Ham United v Liverpool
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Now we don’t have those anxieties and recently we started to look differently at our goals and expectations for the remainder of this season.

My aim now is to give us short, attainable goals rather than bigger, more expansive ones which are maybe not do-able. Every time we reach one goal, it gives us the opportunity to move onto the next one.

So, passing that 40-point mark was great and the next hope is how quickly we can reach 50, because that would get us closer to a situation where good things could really start to happen.

The players are enjoying their football; they have smiles on their faces. There is a bigger freedom about them and they have trust in themselves to score goals and win games.

That attitude has also lot to do with the players we’ve brought in, who have a mind-set of winning matches and winning them well.

Jesse Lingard is the most recent of those acquisitions. We always try and do as much homework as possible on the players we want to bring to the club and I knew Jesse from my time at Manchester United.

First and foremost, his character and attitude to the game is good and maybe he has a bit to prove. He’s always had good energy levels and a good work-rate and that’s something I always remembered.

He’s scored some fine goals for Manchester United, he’s become an England international, had a good career and he still has a long way to go. He has an opportunity to show what he is – and what he can be.

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Jesse has also given our players a lift. When you are trying to improve clubs the squad needs to see that the players who come in will help them. I believe he has demonstrated that after just three games so far.

The players we’ve recruited recently have been very good and we hope we can continue in that way because recruitment plays such a vital part in enjoying success or otherwise.

It’s a difficult task but if you can recruit the right characters for your club plus those already there, they can pass those standards on to the next group of players.

One of the biggest things for me is that the change of mentality of those who have been at the club for some time is making a big difference. I also want to praise all the staff members. It’s so good to see everyone with a smile on their face - it makes their jobs so much easier when the team is doing well.

We want to continue that because it will definitely play a positive part in recruitment. Good players want to see a team who have something about them.

Jesse has come in for example and I think he’s really enjoying his time here. Players want to be involved in clubs who have a momentum. We’re only at the start but we are striving for that consistency over a number of years. To continue to grow you need good, firm foundations.

On an unfortunately far less positive note, social media abuse seems constantly to be rearing its ugly head.

I made a conscious decision some time ago not to get involved in it but I fully understand and respect those that do because much of it is very good.

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