It’s fair to say things aren’t great at West Ham United right now. After being positioned well in the Premier League, recent form has seen them slide down the table and out of the European places they once occupied. Pressure is also mounting on manager David Moyes, and change could be needed. But what will West Ham and the fans be looking for?

You can’t underestimate the job Moyes has done at the club across two spells. He’s helped the club survive in the top flight, and he’s also helped them excel, even guiding them to a European trophy last term. But recent weeks just haven’t been good enough, underlined by the current Premier League betting online, where The Hammers are no longer favourites to win in many fixtures.

Moyes isn’t renowned for getting his teams playing an attractive brand of football, but he has been, especially during his time at Everton and West Ham in the main, become known for being able to drive his team towards positive results. However, at the time of writing, West Ham have not been able to find a win in their last six Premier League games, losing their last three in a row. These defeats include a 3-0 reverse at Manchester United, a 6-0 hammering by Arsenal at home, and a 2-0 away loss at Nottingham Forest.

While West Ham may not have been expected to collect wins against Manchester United or Arsenal, they would have hoped to get a positive result against relegation-threatened Forest. They have also failed to score a goal in this run of three losses, too. At present, Moyes’ knack of being able to get his team to grind out results isn’t there, and you could also question whether that’s enough for a team expected to challenge for European football qualification.

Of course, getting points on the board matters, preferably wins. They are what will help West Ham get to where they want to be in the league. But is getting points on the board where the football isn’t great to watch appealing? Even if it means qualifying for Europe and so on? Or does it even have to be a trade-off of sorts anyway?

There can be pragmatism, but there can also be a brand of football that supporters buy into. It’s been seen at other Premier League clubs, such as Brentford and Brighton, so why not West Ham? This is not to dismiss Moyes’s ability as a manager because the Scot has done great things at West Ham. Still, with fans seemingly turning after ‘Moyes Out’ banners were seen in the City Ground away end, a change of direction to suit all stakeholders could be required.

And that change in direction could be for the man who eventually replaces Moyes in the dugout to be a head coach-type renowned for playing a particular style of football with principles and a philosophy already proven and documented. The game, especially at the top level, seems to be moving this way, and West Ham could have the opportunity to head that way, too, sooner or later.