If you, as a football fan, were asked which club would be at the bottom of the Premier League table, I bet not many of you would have said West Ham United. Surely not, after all the hype that has surrounded the East Londoners in the last couple of months, and arguably the last two years as well.
From a team that signed some impressive players, this was surely not the start that anyone would have expected. Three games, three losses and already 10 goals conceded, with just a couple scored, with a goal difference of *minus 8*.
Even though it is true that just three matches are done and things could eventually come around for the Hammers, it does not seem that their manager has too much time on his hands.
A recent report suggested that the Croatian manager has just four more games, once the international break concludes, to prove his worth and save his job at the club, else he might get the boot.
The Londoners have a lot of history and pride associated with the club and Bilic has not really given them the start that they were looking for.
Moreover, the games to follow in the top flight of English football for them are home fixtures against Huddersfield Town, Tottenham and Swansea, along with an away match against West Bromwich Albion.
These could be the “do or die games” for the manager and if he fails to win or get results according to the management’s expectations, he could very well be on his way out.
A team without balance
The Hammers took on Newcastle this past weekend – a side who hadn’t scored until then – and it was baffling to see that there was absolutely no desire to put the struggling hosts under pressure.
His tactics and team selections have been questioned at times and there was some concern about the way the team was performing in the previous campaign as well, though the end result saved him then.
Some decent signings were added to the squad this summer; Pablo Zabaleta for free or Joe Hart on loan, Marko Arnautovic from Stoke City, along with former Manchester United man Javier Hernandez (Bayer Leverkusen) for £16m. Last but not the least, Sead Haksabanovic was signed from Halmstads, as well.
However, the main problem was that, around 19 players left the club as well, some permanently while some on loan. The 48-year old manager doesn’t have the balance in his side and the hopeful deal for William Carvalho also collapsed leaving them with a midfield that can be penetrated at will by even teams like Newcastle.
The Red Devils put four goals past them on the opening day of the new campaign and things just haven’t gotten any better since then, as they lost their second match against Southampton 3-2, though it was a close encounter.
If he fails to deliver now, it could the end of his time at the London based outfit.