BBC Sports pundit Chris Sutton has claimed that West Ham United manager David Moyes has the right to defend himself amid growing pressure on his job

What’s the latest on David Moyes and West Ham?

The Hammers had yet another day to forget in the Premier League this weekend as they travelled away to Brighton and were comfortably beaten 4-0.

That’s the club’s 14th defeat after 25 league games and it means they sit perilously close to the bottom three and could well be relegated this season.

Moyes is understandably under growing pressure but he seemed to defend himself with some sly comments to the press after the game which could be viewed as a possible dig towards the supporters calling for his name.

Indeed (via football.london) he accepted that the fans would be disappointed but suggested that they only feel that way as he has raised expectations of the club over recent years.

In full, he said: “They’ve been watching a really good team for the last three years, a team that’s been finishing sixth or seventh in the Premier League, been watching a team that’s got into the semi-final of Europe, a team that just won the group in Europe again, so I understand it’s hard to come and watch that performance today.”

While speaking to a listener who dubbed the comments “sneaky” on the BBC Radio Show 606, Sutton said (25:07): “You called it a sneaky point. I mean, I’ve not heard the interview but I’ll take your word for it.

“But I think David Moyes is entitled to defend his record at West Ham. Since he’s been in, was it a sixth-placed, a finish seventh-place finish?

“So do we allow him a blip, you know?”

What does the growing Moyes pressure mean for West Ham?

It’s certainly true that Moyes has led the club to some impressive campaigns since taking over. After all, the club have only ever finished inside the top seven in the Premier League on five occasions and the manager achieved this twice in the past two seasons.

What’s more, as he alludes to in his post-game comments, he did help the Irons reach their first major European semi-final in 46 years as they went deep into the Europa League last term.

Even so, you can’t always rely on the past, even if it’s the recent past, as a defence to excuse the team being so poor in the present. If West Ham can’t improve their form, they could easily be relegated.

As per The Athletic, it seems as though the club board will continue to back Moyes but you can’t help but feel as though he is one more bad defeat away from the sack regardless of his prior achievements with the club.