This Championship season has thrown up some riveting talking points as West Ham’s ‘remainers’ – the players who didn’t want out or get sold in the summer – come to terms with the fast paced, no quarter given football of the second division.
The Irons started the season back in August – looking shellshocked and with a definite relegation hangover – with a dodgy draw away at Turf Moor and then a loss against London neighbours Charlton Athletic as they looked anything but solid in defence.
Familiar frailties raised their head again and the Kilman-Mavropanos pairing was deemed deeply suspect.
So what has changed? Dinos has gone back to being his usual self – solid, sturdy – still reminiscent of a young Rio Ferdinand with a maddening momentary lapse of concentration present in just about every game: The surprise package seems to be Maximilan Kilman.
Many – Claret and Hugh included – were calling for Kilman’s place to go instead to Airidas Golambeckis after the Millwall debacle. However, it is undeniable that something seems to have shifted.
Whether it is confidence, coaching, practise, or simply that attacking opponents are less brutal in this division – but Kilman the gentle giant seems to have found a level where he can perform adequately in defence, and as a plus for Nuno’s side, now actually start to bring the ball out from the back line.
After a trademark dodgy start to the season, Maximilian Kilman does seem to have turned it round
Not a complete metamorphosis, granted, but perhaps enough to save West Ham diving headlong into the winter market for another emergency centre back in a carbon-copyAxel Disasi loan move which they undertook 12 months ago for the exact same reason – to shore up their dreadfully leaky Todibo – Mavropanos – Kilman back line.
Of course, Kilman still looks anything other than the £40 million defensive monolith he was supposed to be (a price tag which hangs very heavily around his neck) and there’ll be a difficult decision to take should the Hammers make it back to the top tier where he’s been found out once before.
But for now, Kilman does seem to have turned it round. Good for him. We’ve given him so much criticism it seems only fair to apply the adage of ‘credit where it’s due’.
It’s the 3rd season of Kilman’s 7 year contract. At the end of this season his price needs to be close to £23million to avoid making a loss. If we get promotion he’ll have to go at a loss, he’s just not PL standard.
I think Kilman is getting some real therapy in this division, maybe his West Ham career will benefit and hopefully if we go straight up he’ll get stronger.