West Ham welcome their bogeymen side Brentford to the London Stadium in the Premier League as David Moyes undergoes intense pressure.
The Hammers will be making their ninth attempt at getting their first win of the 2024 campaign when the Bees come to east London on Monday night in search of more victories.
The Bees would most certainly be the last side Moyes would hand pick to face, outside of the elite, if he had a choice as Brentford are the only side Moyes has never beaten of the 43 he has faced as a Premier League manager.
And Thomas Frank’s team are Moyes’ bogeyside nightmare when they come to the London Stadium in pursuit of a sixth win over the Irons since being promoted.
West Ham fans also are justifiably fearing the worst given the return of Ivan Toney, not to mention also the lamentable form of Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma. The faithful Hammers fans can still recall painfully the last time their side were beaten 2-0 at Forest, although in truth they could easily have lost by a much bigger margin.
Ahead of the Brentford match, fans had unfurled banners screaming for the manager’s removal, and he was asked whether he feared a repeat on the terraces at home.
And the manager sent a pointed message to disgruntled West Ham fans ahead of the clash – “concentrate on the pitch”.
“It’s what I want to see from the players, the performance from the players,” said Moyes when asked about what he wanted to see from West Ham fans on Monday night.
“That’s always the one that ignites the supporters, our performances is the most important thing.
“Let’s concentrate on the pitch,” Moyes said with a wry smile.
“And you know hopefully everybody concentrates on the action on the pitch.”
Moyes clearly expects the digruntled fans to focus on the game and not provide any distractions for his team or fodder for the media.