Ex-Sunderland boss David Moyes under pressure at West Ham after poor start following '£170m transfer splurge'

The Hammers will spend the World Cup break just a point above the relegation zone after a third straight loss, 2-0 at home to Leicester.

Moyes has guided West Ham to consecutive top-seven finishes but this season has not gone to plan despite a £170million transfer splurge over the summer.

But the Evening Standard report: “West Ham are backing David Moyes to drag the club out of their current slump, with no plans to replace the Scot during the World Cup break.”

What has David Moyes said?

“Well, look, people are right because they’re not used to being in this position. They’re more used to being sixth or seventh in the league,” said Moyes.

“Last year, probably at this time, we were challenging for the Champions League, we’d been in the top four for long periods. So, I can understand that.

“I can understand, people want winning teams, want to be at the top of the league – so do we, so do the players. That’s what we’re planning to do next.”

Nine defeats in 15 matches this season represents West Ham’s worst start to a top-flight season since 1976 – and they have been relegated five times since then.

Goals from James Maddison, who later went off injured but expects to be fit for the World Cup, and Harvey Barnes did the damage while the Hammers laboured in front of goal again.

But Moyes added: “I thought the players worked unbelievably hard. I thought they ran a thousand miles trying to get a result.

“The lads were determined to try and make it work for us so it was certainly nothing to do with them not being quite at it.

“They’re low because they are desperate to win, they are low because they are a side who in the last couple of years are used to being sixth or seventh in the Premier League. They are not used to being in the position they are in, with the group we’ve got.

“I don’t think we are a huge distance away from it, but we’ve got to start showing it by the results.”