Has West Ham United co-owner David Sullivan had a Nostradamus moment over the fate of Slaven Bilic.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
Slaven Bilic‘s side have lost five of their opening six Premier League matches and scraped past Bournemouth in their solitary victory.
The Hammers were also embarrassingly dumped out of the Europa League by Romanian minnows Astra Giurgiu for the second season running.
Fans have been at each other’s throats over standing at their new 60,000 seater Olympic Stadium home while Karren Brady – who spearheaded the club’s move to Stratford – was allegedly spat at by her own supporters as things turned sour in a 4-2 home defeat to Watford recently.
A toxic atmosphere is starting to fester at West Ham and fans are beginning to question some of Bilic’s team selections and tactics.
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic celebrates winning the last ever game at Upton Park
It is a far cry from last season when West Ham enjoyed their best ever points total of the Premier League era, recorded a first positive goal difference since 1986 and finished just four points off the Champions League places in their emotional farewell campaign at Upton Park.
There were calls for Bilic to be rewarded with a new contract in the wake of that fantastic debut season.
But Sullivan insisted in an interview with The Mirror back in March that he wanted to wait to see if Bilic was not just a “one season wonder” first.
West Ham co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold
“I will give Slaven a new deal in January,” Sullivan told The Mirror.
“I just want to see that he is not a one-season wonder.
“I’m sure he is not, but we will talk next January — or at the end of next season.”
Sullivan’s caution was understandable after all this is a man that has seen a lot during his time as a football club owner.
But not even he could have foreseen just how terrible the club’s second season under Bilic would be, especially with the move to their new stadium.
Sullivan after at the Olympic Stadium
While there are still 32 games to go, West Ham will not want to find themselves embroiled in a season long relegation battle as Newcastle United and Aston Villa proved last season, once the rot sets in it can be hard to get out of it.
Why did Sullivan have to say anything, though. His comments were cleared intended to guard against complacency.
But they could also be construed as a lack of confidence and trust in the manager, which can also filter down to the players.
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