Two seasons on from the biggest change of direction in their history, West Ham United are at the crossroads. Again.

Victory against a Stoke City side who appear doomed would all but end the spectre of relegation. David Moyes’s team are six points above the drop zone but this is the time of year when desperation kicks in and strange things happen. The hapless and hopeless suddenly galvanise themselves and pick up unexpected wins. West Ham’s fixtures after tonight do not seem to hold the promise of many points – Arsenal and Leicester City away, Manchester City, Manchester United and Everton at home. The cushion provided by a win over Stoke would allow Moyes and the club to start considering their options for next season.

When they moved from the Boleyn Ground to Stratford two years ago it was with the slightly delusional belief that West Ham were about to make the step up towards joining the Premier League’s elite. It was the right time for a forward-looking, well-run club. The Hammers, after all, finished above Liverpool.

It’s been a tumultuous couple of seasons. If they have proved anything it is that West Ham are not a well-run club. Rebranded badges and wishful thinking are not enough. The entire football operation needs revamping.

The first big question is whether Moyes is the right man to take things forward. The Scot has been a qualified success. If he gets the proper support from the boardroom and in the transfer market, he is a man who can bring stable progression.

David Sullivan and David Gold, the co-owners, have options. Despite the travails of recent months, West Ham are one of the few clubs outside the top six with the potential to break out of the Premier League’s chasing pack and become a regular fixture in the top 10. Ambitious managers can see the possibilities. Rafa Benitez was in advanced talks to join three years ago and will probably be interested again this summer if approached. Marco Silva, who seems to be on the wish-list of many of the division’s strugglers, is another possibility. No manager will thrive at West Ham, though, unless the working conditions change.

Sullivan appears to understand that he has to take a step back from a player recruitment process that has verged on shambolic. The mess West Ham made attempting to sign William Carvalho from Sporting Lisbon last summer was humiliating. They are not the only club to make amateur mistakes when trying to buy players. Liverpool were forced to apologise to Southampton for a hamfisted attempt to sign Vigil van Dijk last June. The difference is that Jurgen Klopp got his man as soon as the winter window opened. All West Ham did was kiss and make up with Sporting. The club intend to appoint a director of football in the summer to address problems like this but it will be a pointless role if the owners insist on interfering in deals. Moyes was unhappy with January’s transfer business. The only signing was Jordan Hugill from Preston North End on deadline day. It looked like a panic buy and the amount of playing time the striker has enjoyed – three appearances as a late substitute – suggest that Moyes was not exactly knocking on the boardroom door demanding the 25-year-old’s services.

There is a fair amount of talent in the West Ham squad but it looks like a group of players assembled on a series of whims. There is no obvious sign of a plan. A lack of strategy has defined the eight years since Gold and Sullivan acquired control. Moving grounds gave the illusion of vision but the reality is that little thought has gone into their grand design. The London Stadium is an inhospitable place to watch football.

The flirtation with relegation must be ended tonight. Even with this half-baked squad they should be in the top half of the table. In situations like this, managers and players take the blame. What happens on the pitch, however, is invariably a symptom of malaise in the boardroom. West Ham fans are an astute bunch. They have made sure plenty of their rage has been directed at Gold and Sullivan.

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If the new era for the Hammers is to be a positive one there needs to be a wide-ranging rethink of the way the club are run. Victories change perceptions and positive results would make even this unsuitable stadium bearable. To do that, West Ham need to get the right people to make the correct decisions. The culture of chaos has not worked.