Pied piper Bilic proves what is says on Irons tin
By MIKE WALTERS
NOBODY likes a smart-alec, but here goes anyway.
Back in September, when the Hammers lost 4-2 at West Brom and the game was over as a contest by half-time, there were isolated but audible rumblings of restlessness among the travelling chaps from claret-and-blue heartlands.
Simone Zaza was strolling around, waiting for his butler to deliver acceptable chances on a silver platter, Arthur Masuaku played like Arthur Mullard, Adrian’s confidence looked more shorn than Shaun the Sheep, Andre Ayew and Andy Carroll were invalids and West Ham were not just suffering teething troubles at their new home: They were having root canal treatment.
I recall counselling here against the removal of Slaven Bilic on the basis he could not have morphed from pied piper to liability in the space of five Premier League games and his unlikely feat of establishing a Romanian bogey team in Europe.
Yes, there were alarm bells, but at least there was someone home in the belfry.
Bilic always struck me as an impressive bloke from the moment he pitched up at Chadwell Heath 21 years ago, fluent in five languages (Serbo-Croat, German, English, pie and mash) and looked the part at centre-back from his very first training session.
He was just as impressive in his first season as the Irons manager, forsaking the sterility of his predecessor’s pragmatism with a glorious opening statement at Arsenal, and it was no coincidence that away wins at Liverpool, Manchester City and Everton followed.
This season, Bilic has needed to prove himself as a smart practitioner of man-management as much as a tactically literate coach, and his handling of the Dimitri Payet stand-off was not just outstanding because West Ham made a 230 per cent profit on him in 18 months. He used a truculent Frenchman’s squeals about wanting to go home to galvanise the team.
Recent performances against Middlesbrough, Crystal Palace, Southampton, West Brom and Watford have confirmed what we knew all along: West Ham were never going to be in serious danger of relegation if the collective ability of Bilic’s sqaud did what it said on the tin.
Payet? He scored one of the goals of the season with that waltzing slalom through Boro’s defence last October, but it was increasingly apparent towards Christmas that he was the biggest show in town – and he knew it. His return ticket to Marseille was the best solution for all concerned (except Marseille, who have just been tonked 5-1 by Paris St Germain).
Can you hazard a guess at the state West Ham might be in now if it was Bilic who had gone and Payet had stayed?
Here’s a clue: They would probably be nearer the bottom than the ninth place where they enjoy mid-table security now – which is no mean feat after such a lousy start.