Matthew Etherington says Slaven Bilic has just five games to save his West Ham job

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The former Hammers star believes the four matches after the trip to Liverpool this weekend are make or break.

Former West Ham United winger Matthew Etherington has told Reuters, as quoted by the Daily Mail, that Slaven Bilic has a maximum of five games to save his job.

Bilic is under intense pressure as a result of the Hammers’ torrid start to the season, which has seen them win just three of their opening 14 games.

The club are currently sitting just a single point and place outside the relegation zone after last weekend’s galling 5-1 thrashing at the hands of London rivals Arsenal in front of their own fans.

That has led to mounting speculation that Bilic will be sacked if there is no improvement in the club’s fortunes over the next few weeks.

Though co-chairman David Sullivan publicly came out in support of the Croatian boss this week, Bilic himself admitted that the club’s next few games will be his test.

Former Hammers star Etherington has gone one step further, though, by suggesting that Bilic is only certain of lasting beyond the game at Liverpool this weekend because the Irons are expected to lose at Anfield.

Etherington told Reuters, via the Mail: “They (the board) know how tough it is going to be to get a result at Anfield so regardless of what goes on this weekend – barring an 8-0 defeat, which is feasible – he’ll last beyond the game against Liverpool.”

He then went on to claim that only a big improvement in the following four matches will be enough to save Bilic from being sacked before the new year.

“West Ham have got four really important games coming up after that (Burnley and Hull City at home and Swansea City and Leicester City away).

“I think the board will give it until then and if they’re still in the position they’re in now then I think he will be gone. The next five games are crucial. It would be an absolute disaster to move into the new stadium and get relegated in the first season.”

Though they should not go to Anfield expecting to lose, it does indeed seem very unlikely that the Hammers will come back from Merseyside with a positive result.

After that, however, they have to be looking at getting a minimum of six or seven points from the following four games if Bilic is to be given a stay of execution.