I have no doubt that Slaven Bilic would be gone by now had there been a suitable candidate available to take his place.
There has been an assumption – and that’s all it is – that Roberto Mancini is ready to move in – but that may be entirely incorrect.
The reality as far as I can glean that they still want their first choice from last summer – Rafa Benitez – who seemingly has issues with Mike Ashley’s spend on transfer and was within an hour of signing for us before Real Madrid appeared.
I bet now he wished he had headed for the Boleyn.
After last night’s Arsenal game the cries immediately started about our summer spend, the lack of investment, that the board were responsible and all the rest of it – history lessons which get us nowhere.
As is always the case in these discussions there are various camps – pro Slav, anti Slav, pro board, anti board and the arguments from each of them always reflects division and prejudice. Unhelpful to put it mildly – in fact, exactly what we don’t need!
More importantly it achieves absolutely nothing!
Some want Bilic gone now but Benitez is not available and incredibly there is not a single person on the staff capable of stepping in as caretaker because each of them are Bilic people.
Please don’t mention the name totally inexperienced in Championship or PL Terry Westley!
There are various issues that could again be discussed ad nauseum:
- whether the board gave the fans the guy they wanted in Bilic ( I believe they did),
- that his judgement of players has proved very poor (I believe it has), that the players have failed him badly (I believe that too)
- that the board could have got rid earlier ( I believe they could have done)
None of it helps. Indeed as we head into two games which I also believe will decide or fate they become a huge problem and if carried into the London Stadium on Saturday could see the players freeze again.
This appalling bitterness against everything and everybody has to stop NOW which is I believe the only reason the board gave Slaven a vote of confidence.
They decided that getting on his case – as may have been the case on a couple of occasions previously – was the wrong move and would instead back him to the hilt in a bid to take the pressure off him given there is no one else around to take over.
Arsenal was always a bonus game – nothing has changed much as a result – Swansea is a different matter and until Saturday is over and maybe beyond only four words need to leave our lips:
“COME ON YOU IRONS”
Yes you are right on all counts in my opinion. I have had my say under another article today, so will heed your advice from now on if I can contain myself. But the points you raise do need to be discussed. In the event that we survive they could easily be swept under the carpet again. There is something seriously wrong at a club that has been in the PL for 5 seasons( & was becoming well established) but which can’t overcome an injury crisis & a change of stadium. Look for examples at Stoke, Southampton. That is where we should be. Right that is it. COYI.
Lets all get behind him, the same way you all got behind Sam.
You wanted attacking football, you wanted more goals. Some of you said you would rather go down playing the West Ham way than playing the big SAM WAY.
YOU GOT WHAT YOU WANTED, NOW ENJOY IT.
You got to admit there’s an irony right there lmao. I bet those posters don’t own up as being one of those now! For the record I never was. I wanted exciting winning football. Right now I admit I’d settle for dour hoof and 6 points the next 2 up.
It was not until I got to the end of the article that I realised what the 4 words were!
Yeah I agree, get behind the team big style these next 3 matches as they are winnerable. I wish the Eggheads would shut up repeating the same rubbish. What they think makes not a jot of difference and repeating it again and again will not change that.
We should beat Swansea Saturday. I hope Defoe weighs up his options after that. If he has an off day against us and we stay up he gets a 2 year deal at West Ham. Surely it’s a no brainer? 😂😂
If you think this is the “West Ham way” you are deluded. We have “no way” at the moment. No style. No tactics. No ambition. No excitement. No pace. No fight. No organisation. Fml I’m so fed up supporting West Ham 🙁
I feel the same. I didn’t renew early because I’m not going to pay £800 for Championship football. I now feel like not renewing if we stay up and Bilic remains as manager.
If we part ways with Slaven, and I actually hope he gives us reason not to, then I’d take Rafa all day long. He doesn’t have the likeability of Billic but he knows his stuff. He would be a great appointment.
Is it me or does this site have a distinct lack of Sean Whetstone about it? Hughie have you and Sean had a lovers tiff? You can tell us…. 💔
Relax he’s on holiday. ThT’S WHY i’M GETTING GROUCHY – TOO MUCH WORK
Lmao Hughie! The Sunbeam is sorely missed! Keep up the good work mate.
Unless we go on an amazing run with 5 or 6 wins I just can’t see Slaven being here in August. I do think we will be ok but we have to make damn sure we drag them through it over the next two games.
It’s time to turn that stadium into a cauldron of noise. Give them some passion and hopefully get something in return.
If we can get some points from the next three games, we might climb the table and we can put this season to bed. The next three games are crucial and one thing to note about the Everton game is that although Lukaku will score his obligatory goal against us; Coleman and Williams are both out which maybe gives us a chance.
Come On You Irons indeed.Unlike some running around in their petticoats shreiking like girls im pretty relaxed as i feel we will gain more than enough points to be safe.
No one would really want to see my old legs in a petticoat anyway i would imagine lol
You’re a jinx Stan. You were saying the same thing when we we about 12 points clear. The gap is dwindling away and we are not showing any fight at all. I expect Swansea to beat us.
Arsenal was NOT a “bonus game” & plenty HAS changed as a result , We have played another game without getting a point, we have lost further confidence that we can put things right & get the necessary points, Hull have gained 3 points on us – as have Burnley. Bournemouth have moved a further point ahead of us ; & Swansea have put in a creditable performance against the No. 2 team in the league – just in time to boost their confidence & performance against us on Saturday. Discounting games & losing the opportunity to get valuable points in our battle against relegation is NOT the way to get out of this dire situation.
My thoughts exactly. COYI!
Yes. Compare it the one against the Gooners this time last year. Fight back from 2-0. AC terrorising their defence. That would have been good for morale even if we had lost it. Carroll does normally produce something against Swansea, but even if he is fit to play it is hard to see it happening this time. Still, it may at least go a long way to settling the issue. Swansea are our best hope for a side to finish below us now. Hull will sweep past us, joined by a portly sixty something who will be waving us goodbye as he disappears out of sight. So if we lose to Swansea it is curtains.
If we lose to Swansea its curtains 64?
Do we need to put you on suicide watch a long with Kevin lol
I cant believe how bloody gloomy some of you buggers are.You need some of them magic mushrooms or whatever they are to wake you from your slumber.
If you lot made as much noise at the London Stadium as you do moaning the place would be rocking lol
Just an opinion Stan. I am not particularly gloomy about it. I don’t mean ‘curtains’ as in the end of life as we know it. I quite enjoyed the Championship last time as it goes.. All I am saying is that if we can’t at least get a home point from them then we will struggle to get points from the other games, and they will probably be lifted & get a few more than us. So curtain as in the end of this spell in the PL. That’s all! Calm down calm down!
I fall into the anti-Slav manager group but I am not anti Slav I sing his name and support the team when I am at the games as I will be on Saturday without feeling hypocritical, I wish he would fix the glaring issue within the team which is that we don’t defend as a team, I wouldn’t want Rafa, Mancini or any of the big names linked, I wanted Bielsa who would have been a real West Ham style manager, someone that would improve all of the players whilst still playing an attacking game, I am impressed by the Hull manager although it’s early days for him. Whatever happens I will be shouting those 4 words on Saturday COYI
theres an irony about this article prob best left un-said
You just cant give it a rest can you Nigel.You are your own worst enemy with your trap sometimes lol
Made me laugh too. Hugh the author of a blog saying we need to shut up and then posting another 10 articles during the day!!!
COYIs 😂😂😂
The whole problem to the season has been the fact we went for a large squad buying players not good enough to replace any players already in the team to stretch the money to make the squad large enough to cope with Europe unfortunately the plan wasn’t to go straight out of Europe instead of buying the 3 quality players we required and using some of the youth players like Oxford Martinez Burke etc to play in the euro games which in my opinion would have given them guys good experience and a bond with the first team as well for next season. Unfortunately I think we may learn that this policy is going to be a really harsh lesson
Well put indelec which is why I believe that the transfer window wasn’t the failure that many people call it, we were buying kids with potential to supplement the Europa League squad, the failure of it was to bomb out of Europe with lacklustre performances and as you have said not to buy at least a right back and centre forward and probably a defensive midfielder. The rest of the players except Tore and Zaza have all showed glimpses of what they can do, in a confident team they would probably look a lot better.