Whatever happens this season at West Ham things need to change at the football club and we need to return to our roots.

We used to be known as the academy; however, the lack of young talent coming through this system since Tony Carr left the club is startling. It is an area that needs addressing – sooner rather than later.

When Harry Kane came through the system at Tottenham there were many pundits who championed the benefits of promoting players for within.

I think it was Manchester United’s legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson who suggested that the benefit of bringing through youngsters is that you have footballers who will go through a brick wall for the club, given that you have nurtured them throughout the years and provided a platform to play at the highest level. They always play 120% something that you don’t necessarily get when you buy players in.

If you look back at our recent history and the likes of Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard, Glen Johnson and Mark Noble you have players who provided just that and their commitment can never be questioned whenever they donned the claret and blue.

If you look at the current first team squad I ask you how many of them could you see putting their body on the line for the cause. In fact I go further than that and will suggest that the majority don’t actually care either way at present – that is ultimately the real problem that Bilic faced and now Moyes will face the same problem going forward.

It is a cultural change that is needed and that isn’t going to happen overnight and supporters need to be patient. In much the same way that Pochettino weeding out the trouble makers at the football club when he took over at Tottenham Hotspur and replaced them with homegrown players who not only ran through the proverbial brick walls but undertook all instructions that Poch wanted from his team.

As Fergie also suggested that it is easier to coach and shape youngsters, as they don’t have any bad habits that need eradicating.

I don’t know what the long term plan is with Moyes and whether he is seen as a short term fix to ensure Premier League survival, but we need to find a manager that believes in youth and who can blood these youngsters to provide the foundations for success and bring some much needed heart to West Ham United – something that is severely lacking in this current first team squad.

Tonight’s game sees Leicester City visit the London Stadium and David Moyes will take charge of the Hammers for the first time at home with the game being televised live on Sky Sports so “everyone” will be watching. Moyes will be keen for the players to deliver the type of performance where they are willing to go through a brick wall for the club and show the total commitment and quality needed to turn the club’s fortunes around.