Slaven’s safe, but for how long?
IT WAS the perfect opportunity for West Ham’s players to show Slaven Bilic had lost the dressing room. To chuck it in, paving the way for a new manager.
Defeat by Swansea would have had grave consequences for the Hammers boss. Instead, Bilic watched his team dig in, with substitute Diafra Sakho’s last-minute goal clinching victory. It was probably a job-saving victory.
As is often the case when a manager is on the brink, tales of Bilic losing the faith of his players are rife. On this evidence, the Croat need not worry too much.
West Ham were not great. Did they deserve three points? Probably not. But when your job is on the line, you find out whether the players are with you. On Saturday, Bilic got the answer he wanted.
‘You can talk about the quality of our performance, but we won the game because we didn’t give up,’ said Bilic. ‘ We didn’t raise the quality of our game unbelievably but if I am on the pitch and I don’t care, it was the perfect situation not to care, to say OK . . . but we didn’t. We forced that goal.
‘I didn’t see any ill-discipline in the camp. On the contrary, I felt we wanted to do it all together. Are they doing it for the manager or themselves? At the end of the day, it’s not important. We are professionals. What matters is that they want to do it. What is behind that, do they do it for themselves, their families or for the manager, it’s not that important.’
You get the impression, however, that Bilic knows there may be dissenters. Javier Hernandez’s stroppy face after being substituted for eventual match-winner Sakho in the 68th minute was a picture. So, too, was Sakho’s decision to charge instantly back down the tunnel, stopping briefly to hand his shirt to a lucky supporter, instead of milking the euphoria of his last-gasp winner.
There is unrest in the stands, too. West Ham were booed off at half-time and Bilic was booed for his decision to replace Hernandez with Sakho.
This result will keep him safe for now. One defeat from the last five games is an improvement after a poor start to the season.
Defeats by Burnley and Brighton after the international break, though, would put Bilic back in trouble. His contract expires at the end of the season and sources have indicated the likelihood of Bilic landing an extension is ‘non-existent’.
One point from a possible 12 doesn’t make positive reading for Swansea’s Paul Clement, either. Getting loanee Tammy Abraham firing would help his cause.
Two Premier League goals from six starts represents a promising start to the 19-year-old’s top-flight career after just two substitute league appearances for parent club Chelsea. And Clement has vowed to stick by the England Under 21 forward, saying: ‘He needs a coach that is patient. I know what it’s like and I know what the Premier League is about.
‘When you are playing week in, week out against strong defenders, who play for their national team, the step up is big. Now he has to work on closing that gap.’
SUPER STAT: Swansea have never kept a clean sheet away at West Ham, conceding 75 goals in 32 games. WEST HAM UNITED (4-2-3-1): Hart 6.5; Zabaleta 6.5, Fonte 6.5, Reid 6.5, Cresswell 6; Kouyate 6, Noble 6 ( LANZINI 62min, 7.5); Antonio 7, Hernandez 5 (Sakho 78), A Ayew 6 (Masuaku 78); Carroll 6.5. Subs not used: Adrian, Byram, Ogbonna, Rice. Scorer: Sakho 90. Booked: Kouyate, Carroll, Sakho. Manager: Slaven Bilic 6.5. SWANSEA CITY (4-1-3-2): Fabianski 6.5; Naughton 6, Fernandez 6.5, Mawson 6.5, Olsson 6.5 (Clucas 87); Britton 6 (Mesa 69, 5); Sanches 6.5, J Ayew 6.5, Carroll 7; Abraham 5, Bony 5 (Fer 46, 6). Subs not used: Nordfeldt, Van der Hoorn, Rangel, Narsingh. Booked: Sanches, Britton. Manager: Paul Clement 6. Referee: Roger East 6.5. Attendance: 56,922.