{{primary_category}}
{{/primary_category}} 
'Club in a mess' - Townsend rips into West Ham and praises Bilic achievement
Sky Sports pundit Andy Townsend says that West Ham United are nothing more than a mid-table team and that the club overachieved under former manager Slaven Bilic.
The Hammers are without a win in their last five Premier League games and face Leicester at the London Stadium this evening, in new manager David Moyes’ first home game in charge.
Moyes replaced former boss Slaven Bilic, who was sacked after the 4-1 home defeat to Liverpool earlier this month, and has signed a six-month contract at the London Stadium.
His credentials as the West Ham manager have been questioned by fans and pundits alike since his appointment, after he failed to keep Sunderland in the top flight last season.
However, Townsend says West Ham fans have unrealistic expectations over where their club should be finishing, despite their seventh place finish under Bilic in the 2015/16 campaign.
“I think it’s a club in a mess,” Townsend told Sky Sports’ The Debate last night (23/11, 10pm).
Get Exclusive transfers news at Football Insider's YouTube TV channel
“I think the West Ham fans have got a bit of an unrealistic expectation of where they think their club should be.
“What Slaven did finishing seventh last year I think was overachieving and punching above their weight.
“With the age of that squad and what they’ve got, they’re a mid-table team, they are nothing better than that.”
West Ham are currently 18th in the Premier League table and have the worst defensive record in the division with 25 goals conceded.
Moyes will be hoping for a reaction from his players tonight, after they were beaten 2-0 by Watford in his first game in charge of the club on Sunday.
The Hammers are without a win in their last six matches against Leicester in all competitions.
In other West Ham news, Phil Neville has revealed which Hammers star he thinks is letting the side down.
We’ve launched a << BREAKING NEWS FEED>> exclusively for your club. ‘Like Us’ on Facebook by clicking here if you want 24/7 updates on all West Ham breaking news.