David Moyes has been a manager in English football since 2002 so has seen a lot in terms of stadiums up and down the country. Ahead of West Ham's clash with Newcastle this weekend, the Scotsman has heaped praise on St James' Park amid speculation that the club are weighing up building a new stadium in the near future.
Newcastle are in two minds over whether to spend money renovating St James' Park or to move down the road to a new site to build a new stadium from scratch. While the fans are keen to see their team remain at St James' Park, building a new stadium could prove to be more cost-effective due to structural issues at the current ground.
Speaking about St James' Park ahead of West Ham's match trip to the North-East, David Moyes said:
“St James’ Park is probably one of the best in the country. Because of the success their team have had over the past year or so, they’ve always been incredibly passionate, but I think they’re probably even more so with what they’re getting.
“At West Ham, we’ve had brilliant seasons and we need the fans to really stick with us through what is a really important time of the season. Let’s hope they’re all behind us in the coming games at London Stadium and away from home.”
“We've got to win games and we've got to win a lot of them!”
Eddie Howe and David Moyes provide their pre-match thoughts ahead of today's clash at St. James' Park
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David Moyes returns to happy hunting ground
It's perhaps no surprise that David Moyes is complimentary about St James' Park considering his recent record at the North East Stadium. Moyes has often been criticised for his away record at big grounds in the Premier League but that criticism can't be thrown at him for his record at Newcastle's home.
Since Moyes returned for his second stint as West Ham boss in 2019, he has faced Newcastle at St James' Park on four occasions and has only lost once. Two years ago, his West Ham team put four past the Magpies away from home and he will be hoping for a similar performance and result this time around as will the West Ham fans who are set to make the long trip up north to watch their team.