Academy manager Terry Westley (right) will take charge of the team for tomorrow night’s Europa Cup clash against Lusitans.
Slave Bilic was expected to take the team against the Andorran league runners-up in the first leg of the first qualifying round but he is currently in Ireland, where he is overseeing a training camp with some of the club’s first-team players.
But according to national reports he will return for the tie at Upton Park but it will be Westley who is in charge in the dugout. The lineup will be made up of a mixture of first-team players and under-21s. Bilic is expected to watch from the stands.
Westley said: “When there was a change in management at the end of last season and we knew that we had qualified for Europe [via the Fair Play League], we couldn’t just sit back and not do anything. We had to put plans in place.
“ It will be a privilege and an honour to play a role on Thursday and when you think the game will be a sellout, it shows that it has caught the imagination of everyone.
“I see my role as helping Slaven integrate with the group and the team, making that transition as smooth as possible and he will come back for the game on Thursday. He’s the manager.
“He’s very interested in seeing some of the younger players and he’s also got some senior players in this team, who will be part of his squad that he’ll want to keep a close eye on. He will be with the team and in the dressing room and a big part of what we’re trying to do on Thursday.
“We’re doing all we can to support him and our job is to get over the first qualifying round. With the manager integrating his staff
I can understand Slav not being hands on for this match after only arriving with the team for Training last weekend, but I cannot understand Westley ‘managing’ the Team for the Europa match? He is the not a manager – he is the Academy Director (after having ousted Tony Carr last year) – surely a proper team manager at the Club like U21 boss Steve Potts should be the actual team manager for tomorrow. Smacks of Westley self-publicity to elevate his position and get in the media!! It will also be interesting to see if he makes his boy Sam Westley (Hammers new no.41 squad member) part of the squad and he makes the bench. Not being cynical at all!! 😉
Good point,no room for egos in Slav’s army
Haha,love it.See you love Terry Westley dearly.So your assumpition is that he walked into the boardroom & told them he was manager for the game & they all cowered in the corner & said ok Tel,no problem,lol 😀
His title ” Academy Manager & Head of Coaching and Player Development ” says that Westley is in a very much more senior position than Potts or Carr was. That became clear last year when he forced out the U21 boss who questioned his ideas.
I just hope he lives up to his long title and becomes a hero rather than a zero.
I think this is taking the pee. How many people have bought tickets expecting to see Slav in charge of his first West ham Game ? I hope he is presented to the crowd just before kick off. this also means our new signings won’t be paraded as assume all still in ireland.
Don’t fear Joe,Slav will be there to much fanfare I’ve got a feeling the signings will be too
Yeah they will have him on the pitch pre-match definately.If they dont they have lost the plot,lol 😉
At least it aint the hippo wallowing in his mud pit bellowing out his orders for a steak and kidney pudding… Slav will be paraded the fans will cheer bar those who think he’s average then the stats analysis will begin…..
Westley’s in charge because most of our line-up tomorrow will be the under 21’s he knows better than anyone. I’m expecting that James Tomkins, Mauro Zarate, Matt Jarvis and Diafra Sakho will be the only senior players to start.