Sean Gregan's exclusive column

I think he will get more out of the Hammers team than Slaven Bilic was doing.

From the outside, it looked like Bilic was a bit too easy on them, perhaps too matey with the players.

As much as Moyes can be fun, he can be an iron fist too and I think that is what West Ham were looking for.

I worked with Moyes at Preston from late 1996 through to 2002 when he went to Everton.

To start with, he was the No.2 to Gary Peters who signed me, then he stepped-up to become manager in January 1998.

He is obviously someone I hold in high regard because we went from the bottom half of the Second Division as it was then, to within one game of the Premier League.

I mentioned earlier that Moyes has his fun side and that is something we saw at North End.

His has a dry humour and what you have to realise is that a lot of our success when Moyes was PNE manager was built on team spirit which he put a big emphasis on.

He would take us away as a squad for a couple of beers at the right time, made sure we were close as a group.

When he needed to be, Moyes was strict and you knew about when you stepped out of line.

After leaving North End, Moyes went to Everton and had 11 good years there.

You might say that things have dipped for him since then.

He took the Manchester United job which he simply couldn’t turn down – it was the biggest job going and no one in their right mind would have rejected the chance to do it.

Unfortunately, having to follow Sir Alex Ferguson was always going to be a nigh-on impossible job.

Going to Spain to coach Real Sociedad, followed by him taking the Sunderland job, probably weren’t the best choices he could have made.

So in some ways he’s having to re-build his reputation in management.

I noticed that in the press conference when he got the West Ham job, he referenced Preston in that perhaps he had to go back to being a bit like he was here.

He will do the job 24/7, he will be intense.

Maybe in his last couple of jobs he had mellowed a bit, so he is thinking of going back to basics almost.

It is fair to say that the West Ham supporters don’t seem too impressed by Moyes’ appointment.

I remember at Preston that some people wanted a bigger name in charge, so that won’t bother him.

If West Ham start to win matches and climb the table, any hostility towards him will be forgotten.

Moving on to North End, hopefully the international break is serving them well.

Fingers crossed, some of the injuries will have time to clear up so that Alex Neil can have a few more players to choose from when they start up against Bolton.

A few days away from the training ground for the squad could well benefit them.