There were so many excuses for the defeat but for almost every one there was a valid counter view.
However, in not reaching for one of them Slaven Bilic demonstrated why he retains the affection of a big section of Hammers fans including me.
He could have pleaded injuries – his predecessor most certainly would have done and with some justification given three key players went down before the Arsenal game and a central defender after five minutes.
The London Stadium adjustment period has been a major issue as most knew it would be; the three games in a week syndrome and the balancing act between League and Cup whilst in the middle of a desperately difficult run of games is clearly as hard a proposition as it could be in such circumstances.
But then come the counter arguments! With a better summer collective buying policy and players coming in who could seriously challenge the first team squad of last season, we would have coped.
Yes Slav has to take his share of the blame because he has the last word and let’s be honest several of his arrivals – even before the summer – have been poor. I’m thinking Jelavic and Emenike for starters.
But the board are also involved in the signing business via their recruitment director Tony Henry so hands have to be raised in that direction as well. The signing of players at West Ham sometimes seems complicated to put it mildly.
However, the manager takes the rap at the end of the day. Why? Because he’s the only one who can be got rid of easily and that is of course desperately unfair.
The players aren’t doing it for him and are looking disinterested but there’s a counter argument to that – it’s his job to sort such situations and if he can’t the outcome is obvious.
We could go on about his tactics and formation and all the rest of it but there was nothing much wrong with them at Spurs until the late disaster or Old Trafford last Saturday. Not many were complaining were they?
However, and this for me is the big one, Slaven made a huge mistake in a car crash of an interview after the Arsenal game when claiming there was a lack of intensity on the training ground as well as the pitch.
And in that one statement he may have signed his death warrant.
I believe he will be given more time but for that statement to come so publicly was a terrible mistake from anyone trying to hold onto their job because he has admitted he isn’t doing it properly in the most important place.
The training ground is HIS manor… it’s where he lives and breathes and prepares absolutely everything – there is no escape from that responsibility.
Like most I love the man and have enormous respect for him. He is the most passionate manager we’ve had in years but that interview – at the end of such a terrible run of results – may just have done for him.
How do you get past such a statement. It was perhaps his biggest mistake in a season of despair.
As I say, I believe he will get more time, but after such an admission he needs some very big points over the next three games.
COYI
If we keep Billic and things get worse does anybody expect the top players to stay? If you was a top footballer and wanted to achieve some success in the game, would you stay at a club that looks like it’s lacking direction on and off the field?
Anyway, let’s look on the bright side. Just seen the scousers throw away a 3-1 lead.who would have put money on that? Anyone for a tenner on a Hammers away win?
lol I saw it . we are all set up for a result ha ha
I’ve clocked up 59 too mate. Don’t know what that is telling me! To be honest where the line between acting too hastily and delaying too long is just a judgment call. My judgment is based on the defence. It would be amazing if we were banging in goals with the strikers our injury bug has left us with. But I really can’t see any excuse for the number of goals we have shipped, and we have enough defenders for a good manager to have sorted that out. At least we would have scraped a few draws from lost games. A bad defence leads to these big defeat that are so bad for confidence. They also lead to panic and bad feeling in the crowd which doesn’t help the players. Getting Carroll & Sakho back could make a big difference, but I can’t see how he is going to sort out the defence if he hasn’t done it 4 months into the season.
Love your optimism. Liverpool are really top notch at the moment. Looks from the poll on here, and from the opinions , that a majority are for sticking with the manager. I reckon the owners will be listening, so that’s how it will go. I think it is just putting off the inevitable, but it is a hard decision. I have loved the club a long time, so I genuinely hope you are all proved right. But a lot of you will remember us sticking with Roeder and with AG. Third time lucky, maybe?!
I would never mention AG or Roeder in the same breath as Billic, but I share your concern and my 59 years as a supporter tells me we should avoid panicking.
woops wrong button… 50 years
The problem with ‘wait until Jan’ to decide? Let’s say we lose to Liverpool. We expect that, so that won’t affect the decision at all. Say we draw with Burnley, then beat Hull 1-0. 4 points, but what will that tell us about the rest of the season. We might also beat Swansea away. Brilliant 7 from 3 we are on our way up the League!.By the time the club realise that is just a nice ‘blip’ and in the New Year we are back to square one it is too late to do much. So I think we have to decide now one way or the other. Either keep Bilic unto May or replace him now.
well if we get our wing-backs and Kouyate back, and no new injuries, I won’t expect to lose to Liverpool.
Sorry but Slav has got to go. People on here cannot keep on thinking up excuses for him. Westham my team that I supported for over 40years is bigger than any ego player or Manger that cannot get to grips with his playing staff. Can we really imagine starting next year at the London Stadium playing against a Championship side or a newly promoted side like S****horpe are going to really get 57000 to watch games like that no we are not. We are in meltdown and something has to happen this Monday to save our club the Chairmen have to weld the axe now.
and that would mean that this Tuesday we would become just another club that panicked there way into the championship.
How do you think the next saviour is going to stop the injuries? Or teach the bad players to suddenly be good.
The January transfer market is notorious for being un-productive, so all he could do is try to kick the players up the backside, which only ever has a temporary affect.
The injuries are gradually turning round even under Billic, so he should get the chance to work with the first team to get the results for the next month.
I agree with parts of every post on here this morning, and disagree with other parts.
For me we’ve had the worst early season injuries I’ve ever seen. One website showed a survey that said we had 7 or 8 after a couple of weeks, where the other clubs had only 1 or 2.
Add to this, the poor standard of our signings this year, compared to 2014 and 2015, and the root problem is clear.
Zaza, Calleri, Tore and Masuaku have been diabolical, and Nordveit and Fegouli will need quite some time to prove anything.
The reaction to these things by, and attitude of some of our heroes from last season ( including Payet ) has not been encouraging.
As for the team system, I think it works, and that Cressie and Antonio play it very well. This is not full-backs so Antonio does more attacking than he did at full-back, which is why he stopped complaining.
I can only imagine that an independent expert inquiry is being planned as to why we always have so many injuries, whoever the manager is.
Our first team can still beat anyone, but how long can we see our first team?
Perhaps Slav should have a chat with Eddie Jones. I don’t imagine the England Rugby team lack commitment on the pitch or in training and I think it is shocking that a professional manager OR professional players allow this to happen. I wanted Slav as manager and I hope he turns it round but if he can’t deal with the work ethic and motivate the players it ain’t gonna last. And yes we have made some disasterous purchases – somebody should answer for those – Ayew for 20 million – give me strength!!!! Playing Nordveit ahead of Oxford!!!!
Couldn’t agree more.
Great post Cowhead I live 5 minutes from Twickenham and was at the game yesterday, Eddie Jones, makes his players think then empowers his players but he tells them when they are useless, none of these niceties too many football managers deal in. He told Tom Wood he was distinctly average, he has now worked hard, likewise Haskell I think he criticised and our best player at the moment Ben Youngs he threw a bag of sweets at him and told him he needs to cut them out if he wants to play to his best. We need the football equivalent of Jones which is why I suggested Bielsa he is s huge risk but he will make the players fitter he will make them play football with intelligence and personality but his lack of English might mean he would be better at the end of the season.
I think he should be given until Leicester on nye . I don’t expect us to get anything at Liverpool but after 4 tough games (5 if you include the cup) he should be given a chance to put it right in a more easier run of games.
A lot of comment about Bilic management started with The Antonio at right back issue. Having watched City v Chelsea yesterday and Moses at wing back and Navas at right back, the problem was Antonio didn’t want to play there. These 2 weren’t perfect but they put in a hell of a loy more effort than Antonio. That symbolises the team at the moment, when things arent going their way, they give up. Bilic can’t do much when they step on the pitch.
Unless the team really pull it out, it will be worse next week.
However, I am not amongst the gloom-mongers.
Ayew will improve his performances (there were tiny glimpses yesterday), Carroll is back and will score, the injured will return.
More importantly, after next Sunday, the nightmare fixture run is done – our “average” game for the rest of the season should be less problematic than the other sides in the bottom half.
All the flack for Payet irritates me too. When you are as good as he is, you try the tricks, flicks and dribbles. They came off for the most part last season, but they are not happening so far this season. They will.
Our best moments yesterday were the Payet/Lanzini interplay. Eventually these will reap reward.
Hang on in there folks, the best is yet to come.
Good point Mooro although I still think he should be gone after the Liverpool game regardless of the result, I am not convinced by the formation, Antonio is not a wing back, Cresswell will do the same job as a full back, we need two centre backs and a midfield that will help the by making tackles and interceptions, I really like Bilic also and think the players have let him down, all this West Ham family is very nice but it says to me they are living in a comfort zone which is borne out by their results, certainly none of the top teams are in that zone. It’s time to get a manager that won’t stand for all this lack of effort (Not BFS) and a manager that will improve his players through coaching, what I would say about Bilic is that I can’t see one single player that is better now than when they were signed in fact this season most of them are considerably worse so the whole coaching set up needs to be looked at for the first team.
Blimey win at anfield for the second time in 50+ years and get sacked? Nah not for me
I hope you are right 647580 🙂 bearing in mind the directors track record it is unlikely anyway but that is my opinion based on everything I have seen during preseason to this point there has been no intensity other than the Palace and Tottenham games, the players are taking the p1ss out of Bilic and us as fans, last season the intensity wasn’t where it should have been either at the start of matches, how many times did we concede stupid goals and have to come back. The points we lost to teams in the lower half of the table also showed a lack of respect which we paid for. I like Bilic a lot but I do not believe he can turn the dressing room around that’s my worthless opinion of course 🙂
Honesty is often interpreted as weakness. The Man is passionate and being interviewed immediately after a very disappointing end to a game that was 50/50 up to when Ayew came on, He was probably caught at a very low moment. It was leaked that Slaven felt He (Ayew) wasn’t up to scratch earlier in the week, for me, these latest comments only reflect that. I believe there is cause for concern. From Adrian’s demotion, right through to the amount of long term injuries we seem to always have.
The Stadium move was inevitably going to affect our home form, Upton Park was our fortress, this stadium is like playing away every week.
However excuses won’t keep us up, and neither will ‘lack of intensity’, so I think Slav will get to the New Year, excluding the Scouse game next week, He has ‘4’ winnable matches
to get maybe 8 – 10 points out of, those games. If we can get Cresswell, Antonio, Carroll and Kouyate back on the field alongside, Lanzini, Payet & Obiang we might just turn the corner.
He may have very cleverly already have turned it round by publicly challenging the team. Now they can’t hide behind him any more
Absolutely spot on
You’re all still in lala land. Of course he has to go. Hugh is is right about the interview. I don’t need to repeat his reasoning. It’s obvious. But a passionate manager doesn’t stop you getting relegated. Also he clearly can’t use that passion to motivate the players in training.
The turning point was the Watford equalizer in September. Apart from the odd flash of something approaching last season’s form it’s been down hill since then. Pardew was sacked at almost the same point 10 years ago and Curbishley only just had time to turn it around. Get rid now and make Eddie Howe a £5 million a year offer he can’t refuse
Firstly I hope we don’t sack him, deserves the chance to put this right.
Secondly he didn’t say we lack intensity, which is then interpreted as not having any, he said we didn’t have the same intensity. Understandable and the truth, we had our best season for 30 years last year.
People need to stay calm, clearly all the owner quotes and the new stadium is getting everyone in a state. We will be fine.
Yes, hope Slav has shocked his players. We’ve needed defenders and strikers since before the summer. What with old legs in midfield and then injuries, what does anyone expect. Waste of resources during the summer. Is there any do$h for January?
COYI
In total agreement to Hugh’s post, I cut and paste from my post in an earlier article:
Billic has now put his head on the line, and dared them to chop it off. I vote give him to the end of the month, because with our wing backs coming back and 2 decent strikers now available, I don’t see us staying in this position by end of year. I also ( unlike others ) see Nobles return as crucial to give us the fight and grit in midfield to start getting points.
Well said Hugh, and I hope that Billic’s honestly has the surpise effect of helping his players to stand up and be counted.
Yes, put him out of his misery and give the new guy a chance to assess what is required in the January Tranfer Window – the Team obviously is not good enough, the Summer Transfer Window was a disaster and the season so far has been underwhelming – definitely time to move him on!
Good piece. Fair assessment of our problem. I would personally end his misery now. It is going to happen so the sooner the better. If we wait another month those ‘winnable’ games will have come & gone. Somebody new should be able to get enough response from the players who are worth holding on to. It would also give him time to make some good calls in Jan. If none of that works then we are sunk, but delaying until into Jan means a new man will be playing catch up.