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Slaven Bilic’s Youth policy at West Ham is confusing

By Scott Johnson

REYKJAVIK, ICELAND - AUGUST 04: Slaven Bilic, Manager of West Ham United (R) speaks to Edin Terzic, West Ham United first team coach (L) prior to a Pre Season Friendly between Manchester City and West Ham United at the Laugardalsvollur stadium on August 4, 2017 in Reykjavik, Iceland. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)
REYKJAVIK, ICELAND - AUGUST 04: Slaven Bilic, Manager of West Ham United (R) speaks to Edin Terzic, West Ham United first team coach (L) prior to a Pre Season Friendly between Manchester City and West Ham United at the Laugardalsvollur stadium on August 4, 2017 in Reykjavik, Iceland. (Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images) /
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West Ham’s youth policy in the past few seasons has been inconsistent.

When Slaven Bilic took over, West Ham fans felt he was a good fit for the club. He knows how the club works and what the fans expect. A huge part of that is development of young talent and the integration of those capable of doing so into the first team.

However Bilic has been reluctant to do this regularly. There was initial promise with Oxford playing against Arsenal, but since then it’s been patchy. Wednesday was a great time to play more youngsters, but it didn’t happen. What is Bilic trying to achieve with his youth policy?

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Mixed signals

As said before, when Oxford started Bilic’s first Premier League game it looked like he was going to be a manager for the youngsters. However after a few more starts Oxford disappeared from the radar. Promising youngsters were sent out on loan and for the most part they’ve been used sparingly. Fernandes and Byram were used regularly last season, but they’re not academy products.

This season Declan Rice has already made an impact but he is the exception here. On Wednesday, when the Hammers took on Cheltenham in the Carabao Cup, Bilic had a perfect chance to give youngsters a run and the first team a breather. However he left Quina and Haksabanovic out of the starting lineup in a match where the Hammers lacked spark. The Montenegrin international didn’t even get on to the pitch.

Introducing youngsters into the side breeds competition for places but also gives the U23’s something real to fight for. This is where they want to end up. This is the holy grail of a professional footballer, because not many play in the top leagues. If they feel that avenue is closed to them, why will they stay?

Next: Hammers Efficient But Unspectacular vs. Cheltenham

Bilic is playing a dangerous game by not including these players in the ‘second’ cup competition. How can he expect them to be ready for the Premier League is injuries hit the first team? He is risking both future results for the first team and the club losing potential first team players. I think he needs to be more adventurous when it comes to youth players.