West Ham United are in the perfect position to truly see what is and isn’t working at the club including under pressure manager Slaven Bilic.
Down at West Ham United there is a large section of fans who say that the owners David Sullivan and David Gold are in it for themselves, have stripped the club of its identity, hoodwinked them into a stadium move, and not invested in the team.
And there is also a large (and growing) section of fans who say that Slaven Bilic – the club’s cool, guitar-playing, beanie hat wearing, cigarette smoking boss with the added advantage of having once played for the club with some aplomb – is simply not up to the job.
Nowadays those supporters accuse Bilic of being tactically inept, that he shows poor judgment in the transfer market and insist he is not motivating his players.
Surely then this summer will prove all this out one way or another.
Presently West Ham – whose fans have been on something of a rollercoaster under the often tumultuous ownership of Sullivan and Gold – have invested well in the first team and the club have rid themselves of some deadwood – much of which was disastrously accumulated last season. Now it is up to ‘Super Slav’ to show his credentials.
In the first two years of his tenure Bilic’s success levels have been polar opposites, the first season was emotionally positive, nostalgic and catalysed by an inspirational signing, Dimitri Payet. The second emotionally negative, unfamiliar and characterised by appalling signings.
Dare to dream, or not… whatever your point of view on where West Ham should be and where they should be aiming to be, the owners and the manager should (and now can) be measured by success on the pitch.
Expectant supporters point to the fact that West Ham have actually only spent around £10 million as things stand with outgoings taken into account. But while that may be true, it’s pointless praising the owners for simply spending money.
Reality says Sullivan and Gold could burn £50 million in the centre circle (and basically did last season) and it would achieve nothing. They need to start delivering on their promises, respect the rich history of the club and show they’re capable of taking West Ham forward.
It is also up to Bilic now to fulfill his part of the bargain. The 4-0 capitulation in what is the biggest opening day defeat in Premier League history against Manchester United was not the start West Ham needed or wanted but was put into perspective by Jose Mourinho’s side repeating the feat against Swansea.
Saying that, though, as a club the Hammers should not be looking to Wales for a barometer… that kind of ambition will almost certainly see them relegated.
A drubbing and another three goals conceded in difficult circumstances in the next game at Southampton was a return to some of the worst aspects of last season but even more worrying given that the personnel the club has brought in – seasoned players with character and experience – were supposed to prevent that sort of surrender.
While it is true the owners haven’t really spent anything this summer no Hammers fan could argue the overall quality of the squad has not improved markedly on paper.
Excitement has been building with the potential arrival of classy midfielder William Carvalho and if Sullivan and Gold deliver the Portuguese then it must be said they have pulled out the stops this summer.
So here West Ham stand on the brink of the third of four consecutive away games facing the Croatian and he has a point to prove.
The manager has been backed in the transfer market, has the players he has requested and can’t use the wealth of excuses available in the last campaign from the stadium, the pitch size, the signings, the facilities, the injuries, the Europa League and a brooding Payet for underperformance and underachievement.
Hammers fans whose loyalties lie with Bilic now find themselves perched on the fence such has been the decline in the club’s output on the pitch but he does retain a lot of support.
Alarm bells are ringing, though, and there are dangerous signs.
Managers are there to manage and Bilic appears guilty of fostering a matey culture among the players with no demands for success on the pitch?
Slaven is also guilty of sticking to a preferred formation that is outmoded, puts pressure on the defence, slows play in midfield and isolates a striker.
Another problem is the increasing tendency of Bilic failing to respond to changeable match situations and when Andy Carroll is not fit – which is most of the time – does not seem to have an alternative plan when a game is going away from him.
Guilty of failing to prepare the team physically for the demands of Premier League football during pre-season is another issue – West Ham played a German fourth-tier side (the equivalent of League Two) in their penultimate pre-season match.
Evidently Bilic appears too grateful for his job as he often lavishes praise on the owners when they sign a player and many feel he is now not placing demands on them as much as on himself.
If West Ham get 10 games in and the style of play, the performances and the results are the same as last season then make no mistake Bilic will be on thin ice.
Now things have settled down a bit after the move, West Ham fans can finally judge the owners, the manager and the team objectively. This isn’t the last season at the Boleyn Ground or the first season at the London Stadium. The playing squad is solid. There are fewer distractions or complications other than the first few away games.
Bilic has had one good season and one bad season. He now has everything at his disposal to prove himself. And the majority of supporters will be hoping he does it.
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