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CanningTownWA 11:05 Wed Jan 6
Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

Good read from The Guardian, I have not seen it posted here

The Premier League largely reverted to the norm in the first weekend of the New Year. Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all won, with Leicester City, Watford and Crystal Palace – the three real surprise packages of the campaign so far – failing to pick up three points. However, there was one “upset”.

After a string of draws, West Ham have somewhat slipped under the radar after a remarkable start under Slaven Bilic. They’ve enjoyed a peculiar yet hugely successful season in the league, clinging on to their hopes of European football relatively unnoticed. Their win over Liverpool on Saturday was their second successive victory and took them above their opponents and Palace, as well as moving them three points clear of Watford and Stoke City.

It looked like injuries to key players would derail their aspirations of a top-six finish but the fact that they are back in the race for Europe despite those absences is very impressive. Knowing that his side would lack the cutting edge they showed at the start of the season in the absence of Diafra Sakho, Manuel Lanzini and crucially Dimitri Payet, Bilic set about ensuring his side kept in the hunt by avoiding defeat.

They, along with Palace, were one of only two teams to go unbeaten throughout December, doing so with a thoroughly depleted squad. They have conceded just twice in their last six matches, despite the absence of Winston Reid at the back, with James Collins in particular coming to the fore. Bilic’s decision to deploy a third centre-back in James Tomkins on the right of a back four, in place of Carl Jenkinson, further strengthened West Ham’s resolve and deserves recognition.

While another injury lay-off for the impressive Lanzini is a blow, Payet’s return will improve their fortunes in attack. The Frenchman has excelled in the capital, earning the highest rating of any summer signing (7.59), enough to rank seventh in the league. Payet, who came on as a second-half substitute at the weekend, showed glimpses of class, eluding three Liverpool players with magnificent skill as the game drew to a close and creating two chances from just 12 touches. His ability to impact a game at any moment has really pushed West Ham on to become genuine European contenders.

However, while the foreign imports to the club have impressed, the old guard deserve great credit for steadying the ship in their absence. The aforementioned Collins is West Ham’s highest rated player since the start of December (7.59) – enough to rank eighth in the league during that time. He dominated the ineffective Christian Benteke at the weekend, making a total of 23 clearances – the most by any player in a single game this season.

Andy Carroll scored in back-to-back league matches for the first time in almost two years following his return from injury, with his rating of 8.77 bettered only by team-mate Mark Noble (9.22) in the Premier League at the weekend. Many felt that Noble’s days at his boyhood club may be numbered following the arrivals of Alex Song and Pedro Obiang but the 28-year-old captain has missed just one game all season, when he was suspended for picking up a red card in their 3-0 defeat of Liverpool at Anfield back in August.


Andy Carroll comes good but Slaven Bilic warns him now is time to deliver
Read more
Bilic has found a successful balance between the new arrivals and the players who have served the club for years. He has maintained a happy camp, with the likes of Collins, Tomkins and Carroll determined to give their all when they have returned to the team. That much is easier said than done. Indeed, their Croatian manager has rotated his squad to such a degree – though enforced in a number of instances – that only Manchester United (28) have used more players than West Ham (26) this season.

Impressive recruitment coupled with man-management and tactical nous from Bilic have left West Ham with just four defeats all season – with the last of those coming back in November. They are one of a few sides in the league who are not only hard to beat but also possess genuine flair. Hosting European football at the Olympic Stadium next season is still a distinct possibility. Their previous aim of ensuring they kept hold of their top-flight status for the big move seems a long way off.

BRANDED 11:09 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

Thanks Alan

i-Ron 11:11 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

Every time I see a positive report like this I think of the hysterical speculation about us gambling with our premiership future, how we're delusional, how there's no west ham way, how Key and Gray were hammering us for dropping Nolan against Arsenal, how we were fools for terminating Nolan from his contract. All these cunts who are paid to spout their shit all thought of us as a shit two bob club who didn't deserve anything.

I feel proper smug about all of this, Souness is the biggest cunt of them all.

penners28 11:12 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

*keys

handball 11:12 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

'Be careful what you wish for' they said

Johnson 11:12 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

How comes Nolan hasn't appeared anywhere since he left us?

Anyone?

Maybe roland_antly knows?

Johnson 11:12 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

*Keys

One McAvennieeeeee 11:13 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

i-Ron 11:11 Wed Jan 6

penners28 11:13 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

GUTTED?

Mad Dog 11:15 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

Well said I ron

Johnson 11:16 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

No penners, I was correcting you for no capital letter.

GUTTED?

hammer205 11:23 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

Good article,spoilt,by the error stating noble missed a game due to the red at liverpool. He didn't it as rescinded

Tomshardware 11:28 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

4 losses in 20 games is as good a record I can remember for a long time.

Texas Iron 11:29 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

Gret performances in adverse times due to injuries...

Fish-head would have been crying about injuries all the way down the league table

Well done Bilic & The Boys...

3 players in The BBC Team of the Week...!!!

Marston Hammer 11:30 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

i-Ron 11:11 Wed Jan 6

spot on, makes the season all the sweeter knowing just how many 'experts' were desperate for us to fail.

i-Ron 11:37 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

It's the air of arrogance about who should be good and who shouldn't.

It's a competitive league now. It's not obvious what results will come in. It's as if all these pundits are completely lost amongst it all. Even the Yids were taking a load of grief for not having a striker or big names.

We've now seen "the worst" Liverpool, Chelsea and Man Utd sides for a long time all in the same season apparently. Can't they just admit it's due to a bigger number of other clubs excelling making it a ruthless league rather than these big clubs in turmoil due to gross mismanagement?

jack flash 11:39 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

Before Bilic was appointed I was really hoping we'd get Klopp, Bielsa or even Benitez

I have to admit I was wrong & very glad we ended up with Bilic

He is the absolute perfect fit for the club & at this moment in time I wouldn't want to swap him for anyone

He's intelligent, honest, charismatic & his love for the club is there for all to see

His style of football is a breath of fresh air to what we've had to endure over the previous 4/5 years

I hope he's our manager for a long time to come

Darlo Debs 11:42 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

I-Ron...agreed am getting sick of hearing how Tottenham are being tipped as outsiders to win the title. The same pundits set the agenda for what gets talked about then repeat it till it becomes accepted as a truth.

BRANDED 11:43 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

Yeah, but Spurs have been on the cusp for a while. We've just gone from being shit to half decent. If we keep it up for a couple of years we'll be world beaters and class of 66.

IsaacHock 11:45 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

jack flash 11:39 Wed Jan 6

100% agree with every word of that.

How much sweeter it all is having come through the dark days.

TCHammer444 11:45 Wed Jan 6
Re: Slaven Bilic deserves praise for turning West Ham into a hard-to-beat flair team

I think we also need to give the 2 x Dave's a bit of credit as well.

Appreciate there was umming and ahhingg on the gamble of a new manager and looking at Benitez, but you just have to look at the likes of Southampton, got rid of Nigel Adkins and brought in Pochettino (who was unheard of at the time) and they have developed forward as a club. Koeman has taken them forward as well, despite recent results. Whilst I am not comparing directly to the Saints, it was decision you could see worked.

It was crying to be done, but as you say wouldn't swap Bilic for the world at the moment, brought in great creative players, Payet & Lanzini and this is what the WHU fans wanted to see.

Irons!

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