What Does This Season Mean for Next?

STRATFORD, ENGLAND - APRIL 10: A general view inside the stadium as players warm up prior to the Premier League 2 match between West Ham United and Middlesbrough at London Stadium on April 10, 2017 in Stratford, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
STRATFORD, ENGLAND - APRIL 10: A general view inside the stadium as players warm up prior to the Premier League 2 match between West Ham United and Middlesbrough at London Stadium on April 10, 2017 in Stratford, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /
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This season has been an interesting one to say the least at West Ham.

What started off as hopeful and positive season following the clubs best finish in years has turned into the sort of thing I have to admit I sometimes avoid watching. It’s painful. The only reason West Ham win these days is luck and that has to change. There’s no consistency in the team.

This is one of things then that makes it hard to predict what will be the case next season. I hope that this is a summer of upheaval at West Ham. A large quantity of the players need to leave. They don’t seem to pull for the shirt. All players need to understand the history of their clubs. It’s just one of the things that matters in football. If you don’t like it you’re welcome to watch and enjoy other sports but football is tribal and the players (even if they pretend they don’t) understand that.

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What Needs to Change?

A club like West Ham that is as proud as it is of its history and image needs players who are willing to do the work for it. Put in the extra miles in training, the extra sweat on the pitch and the extra blood in the tackles. This year has been a study in how easily players can stop making the same impact they’re supposed to if they don’t care. It’s very simple the player who plays harder but is less talented is easily preferable to the moody talented sod. West Ham have too many of the latter in the team.

What this means for next season is hopefully that the team will look almost entirely different. If the club can do the proper work and bring in 5-7 players and cut out the dead rot while supplementing with the substantial youth talent that was sent out on loan this year then give them a month or even two to blend it would be the best case scenario.

Next: Fans react to Byram and Collins' performances

Slaven Bilic is the right man to stay at West Ham. He’s had a rough go of it this year but what manager wouldn’t miss his best players if one was injured every other match and the other was a Judas-like traitor? Slaven Bilic needs a team as committed to the club as he has always been. If he gets that then West Ham will at least be able to be where they belong in the top-10 next season.