Leroy delivers the Slaven verdict

I believe West Ham will retain their Premier League status this season and as a result Slav will keep his job.

No, we aren’t safe yet and given that we managed to lose five games on the trot before Saturday let’s take nothing for granted, although eight points clear of Swansea is a sizeable gap for them to breach.

Shock results come along at the end of the season when teams are desperate and it’s important that we grab three points at Sunderland on Saturday .

We need to get this thing done so we can all start looking forward and once it is, the obvious thing to do is to allow Slaven to take us into a third year.

I don’t think he will or believe it would be right to give him a NEW deal  but deserves the opportunity of earning one after a season which has thrown up more difficulties than any I can remember.

He has done a good job negotiating  factors such as the Payet affair and the stadium itself and after a disastrous summer in the transfer market need the chance to learn from that – along I might add with the board.

And whilst on the subject of the Davids and Karren Brady let it be said that whilst there is a place for their views they need to be very careful to ensure people aren’t undermined.

We live in a social media age and it’s good that the fans can sometimes have a direct line to the owners through that or websites but caution has to be the watchword.

I like that they are open and transparent and I’m fine with them  saying  such as “that was a bad peformance” and “we must do better.”

However when it comes to discussing transfers and the like, I draw a line. That should remain in house and details only released when a deal is done.

I think too that at the end of this season everybody needs to sit down and decide whether the current cooperatve recruitment policy is working.

I am convinced that Slaven has the last word and that’s how it should be but nobody seems 100 per cent sure and it might be good if it was explained.

One thing is for sure. Big lessons will, or certainly should have been learned, from this season. Let’s get safe, move on and get things truly sorted for next season.

COYI

Leroy is ClaretandHugh’s chief pundit and head analyst for the Premier League