Slaven Bilic is coming under increasing fire as West Ham manager. How are fans so divided over his role at the club?
First of all I must lay out the facts of this situation. There are two equally annoying groups of West Ham fans right now, one group that think Bilic walks on water and can do no wrong because he’s an ex player and likeable, and another group who want him gone no matter what.
I think this situation has arisen because Bilic is being judged on two characteristics. One, his ability as a manger. Two, as a person. When these get conflated is when issues arise, and I think the board need to sort this soon.
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The Manager: Learning from mistakes
My big issue with Bilic as a manager is that he makes the same mistakes again and again. The defence has been an issue over and over with very little done to help it. In 6 Premier League games so far this season we’ve conceded 3 or more in 4 of them. You can’t expect to stay in the league with that sort of record. Yet very little has been done to help.
He seems to get on well with his players, but there is also an issue with discipline. Mourinho doesn’t seem the most likeable guy, but damn does he get results. Guardiola showed with Hart that he is willing to put his foot down as well, but Bilic seems to approach things too gently at times. The man is a nice one, but he needs to be a good manager first.
And as a manager he has seen the same patterns with his teams before. When he takes over there is a good season, then it declines as time goes on. He doesn’t seem to be able to adapt to changing situations and player desires, something that you need to do in the Premier League, probably more so than any other league.
By my count we’ve won 7 Premier League games this calendar year. We’ve beaten Palace, Southampton, Middlesborough, Swansea, Spurs, Burnley and Huddersfield. Spurs was a good game, and Southampton are a tough team to beat. But there should be more than that. As a manager, on this record, Bilic shouldn’t be in charge of the club.
The Man: A likeable Ex-Hammer
The cause of the division between the fans is the fact that, unlike Allardyce, people like Bilic. He speaks with passion about the club and his ties to the club from his playing days put him in people’s good books. Because of this, I want him to learn and to get better as a manager, but I just don’t think he has it in him.
If Bilic were to take us on a massive winning run and prove that he’s learnt how to put Carroll in the team without playing long balls, or that we need another commanding centre back or central midfielder to stop leaking goals, or that Chicharito can’t play out wide, I’d want him to stay. He’s a nice guy and if we can have both a decent guy and a good manager I’d want him managing the side.
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But if I was in charge of the club he wouldn’t be managing the team. He’s not shown he can adapt to the challenges faced and I don’t think he’s astute enough to improve us. We’re hiring a manager, and not a friend. The manager isn’t good enough, and the club desperately needs someone who is.