West Ham are drawing up a list of candidates to take over from Slaven Bilic after the disastrous events of Friday night and Brighton.The club knows it has a serious problem and is quickly looking at limited options but the promotion of Terry Westley as even a temporary replacement while the club looks at longer-term candidates is not one of them.
One of the possibilities being considered is an approach to veteran coach Guus Hiddink on a short-term contract whilst the club look for their ideal long-term candidate.
Calls have been put out to various intermediaries (agents) as the Hammers look to solve their crisis but with many candidates already employed their position is extremely difficult.
Leading candidates such as Manuel Pellegrini, Rafa Benitez, Sean Dyche and Roberto Mancini are all employed with the former Manchester City boss only joining St Petersburg in June.
So it looks more probable that should the board decide to axe Bilic the chances of a caretaker boss taking over until the end of the season are high.
Anybody please.The atmosphere is so toxic around the club right now it seems impossible that Bilic will continue.Terry Westley has done a great job with the B team and would not be as reluctant to play some of his charges as opposed to that shower last night.
The board have only themselves to blame for this mess. They should have done the obvious at the end of last season and brought in Mancini – I feel sure he would have come. Now they’ve got to bring in an experienced temp to keep us up and then show the ambition required to recruit a top manager at the end of the season.
That would make sense. Going for experience, seasoned expertise pro temp might be enough to encourage some players to at least appear as if they are ‘up for it’. Of course it is unfortunate to scapegoat Slav as if the owners/board don’t have a significant responsibility for what is rapidly becoming a dire situation. Bit like Slav or not, he is complicit to some degree in the purchase of his players. Whoever authorised the purchase of Ayew, Fonte, Arnautovic, Masuaku, Snodgrass and ‘hire in’ Hart pro temp based on a footballing recommendation need to be held to account, openly and publicly.
Look at this way, imagine you are a ‘talent acquisition consultancy retained by a blue-chip corporate; you advise your client to invest about £60mill in so-called ‘talent’ and they turn our like the duds above. Would your ‘brand for finding talent be enhanced in the market place? Right. So, who did the recommending, who did the authorising, and on what rational and analytical basis. If Slav was involved, and I’m unable to see how he wouldn’t have been, then he is as culpable as the owners. They have the power to hide behind ownership; and the hired- help – Slav et al – go to the sacrificial altar of ‘failure’. The truth is though, those who hired Slav et al have the primary responsibility for their leadership decision making. End of.
Well, that’s my simplistic analogy concerning the owners of the Irons. They and the coaching staff are equally and complicity culpable. As for the players: well, a player can’t give you what they haven’t got to give. Simple as. So the question is who is to blame for buying players who can’t give to the irons what the Irons need on the park? Well, this is circulate, and comes back to the same place: The owners and Slav et al. Simply, all those who are involved in the player ‘purchasing chain’. So, stand up guys, tell us who you are, and the part you have played in bringing players who haven’t got to give what the Irons need on the park. Stand up, fess up. take a bow, perhaps even apologise to ticket paying stakeholders. and allow the ‘fan stakeholders’ to determine your collective fate. Sorry, I forgot, that’s democracy. Ownership protects people from accountability and transparency from top to bottom; it permits them to talk about ‘honour’. Forget blaming the over indulged ‘playing fodder’. The accusatory finger or fate should be poked up the noses of those people who are responsible for the leadership of the club from boardroom to Rush Green.
That’s an extremely detailed analysis Ruff and I agree with most of it. I would, however, take exception to a couple of the players you mention. Snodgrass was an extremely effective player for a team struggling at the foot of the table – he comes to West Ham and is unrecognisable. Likewise Arnautovic – I saw him play several times for Stoke and thought he was an extremely good player – skillful on the ball and very creative. Why has he too become unrecognisable? In my opinion that’s down to the manager and coaching staff. The writing was clearly on the wall for the last 10 weeks or so of last season. What I can’t understand is why the board didn’t see it and take the appropriate action at the end of the season – and I’m not talking with hindsight!
Awesome Post. Take a bow son, take a bow
I think our problem stems from trying to build the team (and formation) around Andy Carroll. When you have a player that is quite unique, and play to his strengths, it’s very difficult to adapt when that player isn’t available or on form. A quality manager will have a Plan A playing style, and find a squad of the best players he can to suit that style. He’ll also have a Plan B and C that the players will learn to play in training.
If Bilic had an established style, then bought players to fit it, the players wouldn’t look so out of sorts when they arrive. Hernandez needs a strike partner to be most effective. Snodgrass, Fonte, Ayew and Arnautovic were other players that were bought in off the back of being quality for their former teams, then disintegrate as soon as they pull on the claret & blue. Why? Because they were selected based on their form at their previous club, and not because they would play we’ll within our system.
Too much drama on this team. I’m big fan of hammers but not the board. Red bull sound good
Talk about walking on the grave disgraceful