Having been shelved once, in favour of Manuel Pellegrini, despite keeping the Hammers afloat from a perilous position, some would have been too proud to answer the call from a sheepish board to return. In December of 2019, however, Moyes saw an opportunity to repeat a rescue act and, this time around, to kick on.
Viewed from afar, the headline outcomes from the Scot's second spell in charge are objectively outstanding: there have been two top-seven finishes, three consecutive seasons of European football and, on a famous night in Prague last summer, the quenching of the club's 43-year trophy thirst.
There has been a reputational uplift, too, this now a club capable of attracting talents like Lucas Paqueta and Mohammed Kudus from the continent, even if perhaps only en route to bigger things, and one able to tie Jarrod Bowen, one of the Premier League's most electrifying forwards, down to a seven-year deal.
While the London Stadium will never be the Boleyn Ground, Moyes's teams have given it its greatest non-athletics nights and turned it into a place where watching football is more than a just-about-tolerable pursuit.
Denne historien er fra May 07, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May 07, 2024-utgaven av Evening Standard.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Are you ready for medieval-core?
No one was more surprised than medieval armourer Matthew Finchen.
Worth the wait This is a beautifully written triumph
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's first novel since 2013's Americanah is a winner
Low-budget indie film Anora wins big at the Oscars
“The more Hollywood changes, the more it remains the same,” writes Ty Burr.
Forget the Trump noisepeace could now be possible
There's much to fixate on, but it's best to judge the President on the substance
Is it the final call for the Heathrow villagers?
Life with the residents whose homes could be destroyed if a third runway touches down
The Fat Badger, London's first invite-only pub
A riotously fun boozer that doesn't officially exist? No wonder celebs are secretly flocking here
Marlon James on why Kingston is Jamaica's beating cultural heart
Whether it’s parties, patties or patois, this Caribbean capital is a non-stop celebration, says the Booker Prize-winning author
The London socialite. His aristocrat killer. And a mother's search for justice
The brutal, ketamine-fuelled killing of a public schoolboy shocked the world. In our new true-crime podcast, we tell the real story
“Last year's Festival was brutal, but we're ready to put it right”
The Guinness Village is, to Cheltenham racegoers, something of a field of dreams.
Me, Marrakech and I: How to ace a solo female trip
I first visited Marrakech with my then-boyfriend in 2004, when I spent my days getting lost in the labyrinthine souks and witnessing snake charmers hypnotise cobras. Over 20 years later, I decided to see how it fared for females going it alone.
