Manuel Pellegrini to continue David Moyes' discipline demands at West Ham

David Moyes ran a tight ship in his short time as West Ham manager, and Manuel Pellegrini is likely to follow a similar path.

The former Hammers manager demanded a level of discipline which was non-existent under his predecessor Slaven Bilic, clashing on occasion with the likes of Michail Antonio and Andy Carroll over time-keeping and attitude issues.

It was something the Scotsman ranked among his highest priorities, and credited as a key factor in their Premier League survival after players told him standards had waned under Bilic.

Now former Manchester City manager Pellegrini has taken the reins. With European football once again the long-term target at London Stadium, he will demand three core principles from his squad - both on and off the pitch - when they meet for pre-season.

“Usually, the first few days I’m with the players I tell them how I work with a group, not just on the pitch but off the pitch, too,” Pellegrini wrote recently for The Coaches’ Voice.

“For me, there are three things that are totally non-negotiable with players.

“First of all, respect. Respect for everything: the club, fans, journalists, coaching staff, directors. Respect among the players themselves, that’s very important.

“Second is commitment,” he continued. “I think there are a lot of ways to coach, but you have to get the commitment of the group to your way of coaching.

“And third: performance. For me, it is not up for negotiation at all. I try to be as objective as possible. I understand players who aren’t playing can’t be happy, but my demands of them have to be exactly the same.”

Pellegrini, who spent his first full day as West Ham manager meeting staff and settling in at the Rush Green training ground, has targeted "four or five new" signings ahead of his first season and is expected to bring in Ruben Cousillas as assistant manager to reinforce his mantra.