OK everybody knows by now…I’m a huge fan of Slaven Bilic’s!
I love the brand of football he is trying to introduce at this club illustrated by the arrival of players like Dimi Payet and Manuel Lanzini and despite the difficulties we sometimes encounter in getting onto the front foot I believe we are a top six team!
There ya go. I’ve said it. If wrong you can’t fault my dreams and optimism.
But there’s far more than that to look at when discussing this man who has the dignity, charm, kindness and generosity of spirit which which is sweeping through our club and into the wider football community like a warm summer breeze. This guy is pure quality.
Ok, forgive this one below the belt jab. Slaven Bilic is not a man I can ever imagine will cup an ear to the crowd of things are not going well.
This little eulogy has been prompted by his comments on Dick Advocaat and the warm embrace everybody watching on TV saw him give the Dutchman following the game.
Maybe you have to be of a certain age to appreciate such sincere gestures but it runs against everything that football has become down the years – self centred, greedy, cynical and often ugly.
Slav turned all that on its head when he declared: “For a gentleman who has just done about everything in his managerial life, in different countries, with international and club football, maybe he thinks ‘I don’t need this now’.”
“It’s hard, especially when you are struggling, hard to cope with the amount of pressure that you are getting from basically everyone. Apart from your family, everybody is criticising you. A lot of times it’s not in a polite way.
“I rate him so much. He would be missed in the Premier League. He is 68.
“Seriously. I love the job. I love training, I love boots, I love the smell of the grass and all that. Match days, everything about football is the best game by far.
“But 68, you know! I don’t know if I’m going to live to 68, never mind still be doing the job. I would be happy if I was alive!”
He didn’t need to say that, he had no need to say anything other that “top manager, he’ll be missed” but the Bilic way isn’t the way of most in this game.
He speaks from the heart, he’s very bright, he holds to certain beliefs and creeds we don’t need to mention here but which are clearly of huge importance to him and he will give West Ham United a face we have wanted for years …one of human decency, tolerance, understanding and care.
Our players have much to look forward to under his management because along with all of his natural virtues he is going to make them much better footballers and have them playing a brand of football in which they and us can take great pride.
In the meantime very well done Slav – they were great words!
I also thought his comments after the Norwich game were a breath of fresh air. No blaming referees or the media, just, That was a good game of football – I’d like to congratulate both sets of players.
I agree Bilic is a breath of fresh air after the negativity of the BFS days – but we are only on the first rung of changing the team, improving the quality and making the Club truly competitive.
Top six is over ambitious, the Squad is stronger and has more depth but is still not strong enough to mount a consistent challenge – injuries, poor form, suspensions etc will have a great impact on our season, there’s going to be inconsistent results -.West Ham are having trouble starting matches on the front foot – so it’s more realistic to aim for a safe mid-table position and go into the Olympic Stadium with an improving squad.
Human being !!!!
Honest man with dignity, just compare him to the Chelsea Muppet or worse still the piece of
dung levy , then there’s the hippo !!!!
No contest !!!!
Yes I think we have to be a little cautious simply judged upon the nature of our results. We aren’t going to keep beating the top teams (home or away) so we have to look to other results and as the game against Sunderland showed (arguably the Leicester game in the cup too) this magic winning formula away form doesn’t necessarily translate into a fortnightly occurrence easily against more average sides. So if we don’t get our home form sorted pretty soon we could actually hit a far harder spell in accumulating points and the positive attitude could very easily fade. On paper we are certainly a top 8 team now i would say but on the pitch we are performing as everything from top 6 to bottom 6 so we have a long way to go before we can truly judge our real and natural position.
Top six !
Yes why not Hugh, anything is possible lol,
This team isn’t firing on all cylinders at present and will in time get better.
We are up there competing so that is a tell tail sign that there’s work in progress but I don’t need to keep reminding people about that as everyone knows there’s a feel good factor at the club and its down to Bilic and the staff,
Top six will blow the pundits out of the water, now wouldn’t that be great !!
Bring em on !!!!!
COYI!!!!!!!!!!!!S
Yes definitely a sincere guy. I also liked his remarks about Big Sam. Lots of new managers that come into a job moan about the fitness levels and quality of the team they inherit. Not Slaven. He went out of his way to say that he felt Sam had done a good job and he had inherited a team of good technical players that had been well drilled. Not many new manages would have done this. It puts a lot of pressure onto themselves.
But Slaven is not afraid to give credit where its due and has faith in his own ability.
I think many West Ham fans could do a lot worse and take a leaf out of his book.
Its exciting times but there will be highs and lows and its nice to know that with Slaven his going to tell it as it is with humility and without the flannel. Top Man. COYI
“Seriously. I love the job. I love training, I love boots, I love the smell of the grass and all that. Match days, everything about football is the best game by far.
I LOVE THAT SLAVEN
Top Man.Love listening to him & reading what he has to say.Intelligent,articulate person.I really,really want him to be a success with us.
Im sure there will be many ups & downs & he will perhaps become unpopular with some fans along the way at times but the guy really is a sincere,thoughtfull & intelligent.It really is difficult not to buy into what he is trying to achieve & the way he goes about it.He really is chalk & cheese compared to the egotistical,self-loving guy we had before 😉