David Sullivan and David Gold have been here before.

For the fifth time across their decade as owners of West Ham, the duo are presiding over a relegation battle.

Various plans to elevate the club to a higher level have come and gone, and the Hammers now find themselves no further forward than when David Moyes was called upon to save them from the drop in 2017.

West Ham sit 17th in the Premier League and will drop into the bottom three if they lose by four goals against Liverpool on Wednesday night.

As they gear up for another scrap for survival, it is hard not to feel they have no one but themselves to blame for the precarious position in which they find themselves.

Moyes wanted to finish the job he had started and build something at the London Stadium but he was ditched after just over six months in charge. West Ham opted to replace him with a “high-calibre” manager “to lead the club into an exciting future”.

The exciting future, however, never materialised under Manuel Pellegrini and with another attempt to reach the next level now lying in tatters, Sullivan and Gold would do well to climb on board with the proposals being put forward by Moyes in a bid to break the depressing cycle.

The Scot’s plan has not changed too much. He wants to see an end to the conveyor belt of eye-catching, big-name signings and instead wants to target talented young, hungry players in a bid to build a more collective ethos.

Tomas Soucek, a 24-year-old Czech midfielder joining from Slavia Prague, fits that profile. So too does Rasmus Kristensen, a 22-year-old Danish right-back in talks over a switch from Red Bull Salzburg.

The moves for the pair indicate that Sullivan, who is back in charge of transfers following the departure of director of football Mario Husillos, is listening to Moyes, whose plan requires everyone at the club pulling in the same direction, as well as a solid foundation.

In Pictures | David Moyes appointed West Ham boss 8 show all In Pictures | David Moyes appointed West Ham boss 1/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 2/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 3/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 4/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 5/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 6/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 7/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 8/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 1/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 2/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 3/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 4/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 5/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 6/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 7/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images 8/8 David Moyes appointed West Ham boss West Ham United via Getty Images

Moyes said: “I know about footballers. That idea of getting players who are hungry, who still want to climb the ladder and are trying to be Premier League players, we have to have a mix of that.

“What we have been saying in recent years is that we can buy someone ready-made who can come [straight] in. I am saying: ‘Stop. Stop.’ Let’s go for people who we think are young, future internationals. We won’t get them all right, it is impossible. We need to bring people in who have got a chance, not just ones who are plugging the gap, take and go away and not giving us anything at the end of it.

“If I get given the opportunity to do that, I will turn it around.”

The atmosphere at West Ham has turned toxic after they were dumped out of the FA Cup by West Brom on Saturday and the next level seems as far away as ever.

West Ham warned of the “serious financial consequences” of relegation in their latest accounts released on Tuesday, which reveal a pre-tax loss of 28.8million in 2018-19.

No one can argue that West Ham haven’t spent money in recent years. They have a net spend of £214.4m on transfers in the past four years. But that investment has been, at best, misguided.

Too many buys have disappointed and the Hammers have been left with an unbalanced squad and a group of underperforming players.

“I’m not there yet,” Moyes said regarding his plan. “It is going to take me a while because I need to play winning football at this moment. Whatever we do, we need to play winning football for the situation we are in.

“If you are further up the league you can look at things slightly different but we are nearly having to play ­football where we’re not taking a great deal of risk, trying to play football which gives us the best chance for points.

“I am at the start of that journey. I wish I could say I was further down the line but it is a start.”

For too long, West Ham’s owners have jumped from one plan to another only to end up back at square one. It is high time Sullivan and Gold took stock and listened to the proposals being offered by Moyes.

His plans hold promise but he cannot do it alone.