Slaven Bilic has again brushed off the persistent speculation about his job at West Ham and shrugged: “I’m not bothered.”

Despite a strong vote of confidence from the board a string of contenders c0ntinue to be mentioned in relation to his position but the manager appears to remain unfazed.

Travelling fans made it clear their support was heard in the 2-2 draw at Sunderland and Bilic continues to reman dignified amid the distasteful swirl of rumours that his job is on the line

He said: “I’ve always been quite relaxed about my contract situation. I do my job the best I can and those things don’t bother me.

“At the end of the day, I have a contract which has another year to run, so I’m honestly not bothered.”

A degree in mathematics  would be required to work out the remote odds against relegation and with the fan base seemingly divided over his West Ham future, the odds against an end of season dismissal remain in his favour.