29 Comments

Sack Pearly King Slav? – don’t be daft!

Daily Mirror sports writer MIKE WALTERS – a top blokemike-walters and a good pal of ClaretandHugh’s – was at the Hawthorns at the weekend and here brings his thoughts on the Hammers. 

 

NICE foundations, shame about the roof.

Most of the falling masonry, roof timber and brickwork has landed on West Ham’s defence after back-to-back 4-2 defeats, and admittedly the Hammers’ defence have not covered themselves in glory.

But a cursory inspection of the wreckage after the chastening results against Watford and West Brom suggests Slaven Bilic’s problems lie further up the pitch as much as the back four.

Leave aside, for now, all debates about the Hammers’ teething troubles at the new stadium They are not the first club to move home and find the going heavy – how many titles have Arsenal won since they moved to the Emirates?

The real issues are on the pitch, and if the manager cannot hear the alarm bells ringing billy-bing, Billy-Bonds, there is nobody at home in the belfry.

In truth, there was not a lot wrong with the first half-hour against Watford, nor the last 30 minutes at the Hawthorns, where the Irons’ intensity should be the benchmark, the minimum baseline requirement, from now on.

If West Ham can perform well for sustained passages in both games, it means application is the problem, not necessarily personnel.

And since the defence copped most of the criticism at the weekend, let’s not forget there were some fairly vacuous contributions elsewhere.

No arguments, Simone Zaza has a fine pedigree, but against Albion there was no mystery behind his withdrawal at the interval.

To put it politely, he did not put himself about enough. There are few games, at Premier League level, where you can expect the ball to be delivered on a silver platter by a butler. And Zaza’s attempted bicycle kick, when there were less complicated ways to capitalise on a decent cross to the far post, was self-indulgent posturing.

Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini only hit top gear when the Hammers were 4-0 down and needed snookers. Enjoy all the fun of the flair while you can, chaps, but don’t forget the tracking back and other mundane chores that come with being a Premier League footballer.

West Brom were no great shakes, but when the Hammers left too many players high up the pitch, the Baggies – who had only scored six goals in their previous 13 games – were clinical enough, and ruthless enough, to exploit the gaps.

And your correspondent felt only pity for skipper Mark Noble, who was also hooked after 45 minutes of ineffective, barren scavenging.

After missing out on the England call-up he plainly deserved last season, he looks like a man who knows it will probably never come.

Answers? Right now, Bilic probably regrets selling James Tomkins without bringing in a replacement centre-back of similar quality, if not better, as an option when Winston Reid is unavailable. Arthur Masuaku will not have a worse nightmare on Elm Street than the one he endured at the Hawthorns, and since form is temporary but class is permanent, Adrian’s confidence will return in goal – preferably sooner than later.

And as a general observation, the gap between West Ham’s back four and front line looks too great at the moment. Bilic has nothing to lose by making the side more compact, and forming a more solid ‘block’ in front of the back four, because if Payet and Lanzini can’t find pockets of space to make their quality count, Michail Antonio’s pace will always be a threat.

Bilic out? Do me a favour – it’s only five minutes ago that he was the pearly king of East London for restoring the ‘West Ham way’ to claret and blue heartlands.

But it will be interesting to see if the Hammers defend from the front against Southampton on Sunday. We know there are goals in this team, but don’t yelp about keeping the back door locked when the front door is ajar and the side windows are wide open.

 

About Hugh5outhon1895

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!" Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

29 comments on “Sack Pearly King Slav? – don’t be daft!

  1. “Biilic out? Do me a favour – it’s only five minutes ago that he was the pearly king of East London for restoring the ‘West Ham way’ to claret and blue heartlands.”
    Yep spot on.Its only a small percentage of nut jobs want Bilic out,they will be back in their padded cells in a week or two when we win a couple 🙂

    • Very well said, lots of great points and even better realistic statements 😉 we all hate to lose, especially in such an embarrassing way. If anyone thinks the defending will just continue this way because Slav has lost it, then you’re very forgetful. Last season saw us defensively at our best for years, and the fact that we’re still very dangerous going forward, I’m not worried. The defending has been childlike, but easily rectified, then we’ll have our balance just right again. Slav has turned us into one of the most exciting westham teams ever! He’ll sort these problems, and the angry impatient slaters will feel a bit silly, COYI!!

  2. What worries me is Slav’s seriously flawed thinking.
    Converting our best goalscorer to a right back? Whilst there have been defensive howlers, it has also been the midfield not protecting the defence.
    Yet Slav’s answer was to put on more strikers, leaving yet more holes…and guess what? We shipped in more goals (even if his RB of preference scored yet again).
    I am not saying sack Slav, but I would like him to show some basic nouse and sort it….
    Has he lost the dressing room?
    Member Valencia says they train harder at Everton….and look where they are.
    I reckon the team are not fit enough and maybe demoralised, and suffering tactically.
    This, Slav, is where you really earn your corn. Show us you are up to it.

    • are you still on here Billy Bullsh*tter.

      • He is dense Rad,he must think that no one on here will mention the fact that he caught out as a bloody liar & around bullcrapper.He has the see no evil,hear no evil hands over his eyes & ears.

      • Charm school again eh? It is only permitted that you dish it out not receive it eh, oh mighty hypocrit?

        • Why are you still here,you stink the place out with your lying & oh I’m so victimised attitude.Suck it up admit you told a pack of lies about never using this site before or bugger off.I havnt been on here much longer than you but you showed exactly what your game was in your first couple of days.No shut up or do one…please..

        • You must think people who comment & read this site (personally I am a reader,rarely comment) are wet behind the ears FnC.From the first day you appeared all I read was you trying to get the lads going on here.
          It seems peculiar that you have never once denied you were this CTM.Maybe you don’t fancy adding another porkie to the catalogue you have already told.
          For someone who claims hypocrisy all the time you have a fair dose of it yourself.
          I agree totally with Bob either shut up with your lying or go elsewhere so we don’t all need to read your stirring up on here.I personally am sick of it & enjoyed your absence last week.
          The best quote I read on here was Boleyn Boy who said you sounded unhinged.How true he was.

    • Lol… F&C, it’s the first time I interact with, but I know you’re already a legend on here… lol you write” Valencia says they train harder at Everton….and look where they are.
      I reckon the team are not fit enough and maybe demoralised, and suffering tactically.” It’s obvious he says that, he plays for Everton… lol…so what about Hippo? I rembember he used to train twice a week and he nursed his baby Kevin for the remaining 5 days… lol 😉

      • Oh trust me Matte you have interacted with him before.He was the sh1t stirrer Cometh The Moment a few months ago.He then came back as Fish N Chips telling everyone he had never used the site before as he slagged off all the regulars lmao

        • Lol thanks for the info Stan, if so, he must lead a thrilling life… lol 😉

          • Yeah it was funny Matte the first day he came back as Fish N Chips he went on a one man demolition of all the older posters but claimed he didnt know who any of them were because he had never used the site before lmao.
            Sad f@cker

      • Fine point maybe, but why so aggressively? I just can’t be bothered with you guys. Look at Bubs; stays on message and makes interesting points. You guys spend your energy sniping. You just can’t see how pathetic you are… because you are incapable of it.

        • Sniping lmao.What to a bullsh1tter who says he never used the site before Cometh the moment.You ain’t even got the balls to admit it you pussy.

        • Yes bubs did stay on topic,he called you a dildo.Now that is a very valid point CTM.Though Hugh clearly took it down..

    • Be nice if you showed some basic nous

    • If u r looking to Valencia for answrs you really are in trouble

      • Valencia gave an insight and comparison
        into how both Everton and WHU train. Because it is Enner, does that make his observations invalid? Or am I missing something here, Hugh?

        • Yeah you are missing something Cometh the moment.Everyone knows you were the sh1t stirrer from before.So you can play the innocent poor me all you want but you were rumbled.

  3. The words Lanzini never started playing till we were 4-0 down is rubbish,
    The little man was buzzing from the begging and was doing well then he got better as the game went on,
    Payet has now got to get used to having 2-3 men on him at all times and needs to do the same as Lanzini come and get the ball and not sit out on the wing,
    Which means we don’t need a plodder picking the ball up playing 3 yard passes,
    I think we all know what’s wrong and now we need run of unbeaten games to rebuild our fortune,
    Time now for us to be positive and it’s about time morons who come to all sites wanting any head just to feel better about themselves,

  4. Mike Walters ? ; never heard of him .
    West ham are suffering the mother of all toothache’s at the moment and don’t need writers who only troll the comments to invent a story they didn’t write . Using other people’s comments instead of saying something original . I have seen my comments and others being used time and time again by Sports writers and pundits from every corner of the shabby media circus . Wish somebody would pay me for repeating comments .
    The only thing I can see clearly is that West Ham need to wake up and Shirk off the remnants of last season . We have made a bundle of transfers that at the moment don’t warrant the contracts signed . In five games we have played 1/2 hr of good football .
    If you want to criticize Bilic that’s fine with me because he deserves it , but the players are also culpable . We are in the relegation zone yet again ( thought it was a forgotten thing )
    and with Bilic at the helm I thought , as others , that was a rediculous scenario . But , here we are already fighting for survival it seems to some . Big Mistake .
    I tell you now that West Ham are getting ready to storm the Premiership . It will take patience and strong support and faith, but we are building up to a force to be reckoned with.
    The aching tooth will be extracted on Wednesday and the wisdom teeth will start to push through . We are getting ready to bite hard ,, beware of the Hammers , down but not out by a long way . COY Hammers .

    • Haha love it Kevin
      The aching tooth will be extracted on Wednesday and the wisdom teeth will start to push through . We are getting ready to bite hard ,, beware of the Hammers , down but not out by a long way
      😀

  5. Wow – And Slav thought he was in the doghouse, he should sit where Cometh/Pie and chips or whatever his bleeding name is! But if you are gonna quote Valencia as a meaningful source to suggest where things are going wrong, you deserve a slapping. Oh yeah, just remembered, Valencia was the best trainer at West Ham and covered more yards than anyone else – not!

  6. This is another article with an almost identical point of view of the others. Slav was never a pearly King, Slav is Slav, the problem is defending as a team in all facets, we are predictable and we are defending poorly m, Slav knows this and is trying to fix it, give the guy a break rather than try to kick him while he is down.

  7. to the new fans that want him out go watch spuds of mill**** we dont need or want you

  8. Fishy Moment your still posting? What’s up ran out of email addresses to have a new name? Or are you just what I always said you were a sad little tosser who gets off on winding people up? 🙂

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