David Moyes’ desire to have a small squad has caused West Ham to fail this season.

No matter what your opinion is on David Moyes, there is no denying that he should go down as a club legend. He took West Ham from relegation battles, to European glory in just a couple of seasons. However, he clearly has some massive downfalls that ultimately hold back both himself and the club.

His approach to certain games, his stubbornness and his constant desire to play defensive football has led to the majority of fans wanting a change. Arguably is his biggest flaw though is how he only works with a small squad.

Unfortunately, this has come back to bite him this season. West Ham are now out of Europe and, with today’s defeat to Crystal Palace, the idea of them securing European football once again is unimaginable.

Obviously, you would expect that he’d like the squad to at least be slightly larger, but he has spent nearly £500 million and has failed to build a team that can compete on all fronts.

“We all know we would have liked to add [players in January] if the right things were available. But I would hate to think [that it] was a discussion [just] because we didn’t have enough players,” he stated ahead of the Palace match.

“If I am being honest, if I had my way I would have smaller squads anyway. I would rather have a smaller squad. I always have done. You can get more problems with a bigger squad. Having a smaller squad isn’t bad. But when you are playing, I think it will be 57 games this season, and maybe 60 last. We have had to take a big hit.”

What the exact reason is behind his desire to have a small group of players to work with is unknown, but you do have to question whether it comes down to him not being able to manage a larger group. He has already struggled with using the likes of Cornet even with so few options, not to mention how little he chooses to use the talented youth prospects at his disposal.

Whatever the reason, it has without a doubt been the biggest cause for the Hammers downfall and there is every chance is could have cost him his job.