West Ham United really struggled to adapt to life at their new home this season.
West Ham United’s James Collins looks dejected
Hammers defender James Collins sat down for an exclusive interview with the club’s official website, and lifted the lid on a conversation he shared with club captain Mark Noble reading the atmosphere at the London Stadium.
Despite West Ham suffering some initial teething problems at their new home, Slaven Bilic’s side managed to create some fantastic memories for their fans, most notably with their 1-0 win over bitter rivals Tottenham, which all but ended Mauricio Pochettino’s men’s challenge for the Premier League title.
And the 33-year-old Welshman explained to WHUFC.com how he and Noble spoke after the Spurs game about how the club needed that kind of performance in order to make the London Stadium feel more like home for the players and the fans:
West Ham United’s Mark Noble and James Collins celebrate
“I was speaking to Nobes [Mark Noble] about it after the Spurs game and that, as well as the Chelsea night in the EFL Cup there, it needed a night or two like that to create a bit of history at the new stadium. Now people can look back and have some good memories, and I think they will start things off and you’ll see a different team here next season. If you look at our home games, the two best atmospheres were for Chelsea and Tottenham at home and we’ve beaten them both, so it just shows you how big a help the fans are and they were there for us all season.”
Next season will be a vitally important one for the East London outfit, and if they are going to make a sustained push for the top-seven, improving their home form will be of paramount importance.
West Ham United’s James Collins and Mark Noble
And their fans will be hoping that the team can draw confidence from their performance against Spurs, whilst forgetting some of the hammerings they took at the hands of the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.
That will be easier said than done, of course, but one way Bilic could improve his side’s home displays is by bringing more athletic players to the club, who can cope with the larger dimensions of the London Stadium pitch.
Last summer’s player recruitment was questionable to say the least, and the Croatian must right those wrongs during the off-season if he is to stay in charge at West Ham.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
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