West Ham United are being linked with a host of managers as the pressure on Slaven Bilic increases.
Under pressure: West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
For most Hammers fans, what has been a disappointing season can’t end quick enough.
The Hammers have endured a torrid second season under Bilic after their record breaking farewell campaign at Upton Park.
Knocked out of the Europa League, EFL Cup and FA Cup in embarrassing fashion, the East Londoners then lost star player Dimitri Payet after he forced through a return to Marseille.
Bilic turned things around after Christmas as the club pulled away from the relegation zone but results have dipped again of late with no win in five and three defeats on the bounce.
The majority of fans are still behind their manager but reports in the press claim he is walking a tight rope over his future with the East Londoners recently linked with the likes of Reading boss Jaap Stam – as reported by The Sun – Abdullah Avci of Istanbul Beksekhir and former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini (The Sun).
But the club must avoid the Italian if co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold are to make the unpopular decision to make Bilic their scapegoat.
There is no doubt Mancini is a proven quality manager after winning trophies with all five of the clubs he has managed so far.
Roberto Mancini
But the 52-year-old Italian is clearly becoming increasingly desperate after making public his attendance at West Ham games as speculation over Bilic’s future reached fever pitch during a poor run last month.
He then attended a Leicester City game when compatriot Claudio Ranieri was under huge pressure and had been tipped for the job until Craig Shakespeare was handed the role.
A trip to Paris St Germain after their Champions League collapse followed before he turned up at Celtic and made public his ambitions to manage the Scottish leaders.
His style of play and management could also cause a problem in East London.
Mancini is known as a taskmaster with a Sam Allardyce-esque preference for a clean sheet, which would be at odds with Bilic’s methodology.
Bilic celebrates after winning the last match at Upton Park 3-2 against Manchester United
On the whole Hammers fans are much happier with the football being played under Bilic and would not welcome a return to turgid football.
Then there is the fact Mancini can only really operate with a big transfer budget, something he would be unlikely to get from Sullivan and Gold who have failed to deliver on promises of big name, marquee signings since the move to the Olympic Stadium.
And that brings us to the last point, the stadium. On Mancini’s visit to the club’s new 60,000 seater ground he was critical of the atmosphere, something that would not go down well with the owners.
Mancini criticised the atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium
“You want to know what happened at West Ham? The new Olympic Stadium does not have the same atmosphere as Upton Park. There there was a different atmosphere, more noise,” he told La Stampa.
If Mancini really is the man being lined up by the owners, surely it makes more sense to stick with Bilic.
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