IT’S TIME TO GIVE BILIC A BREAK

WHEN he was substituted in the 78th minute against Swansea, West Ham striker Javier Hernandez had touched the ball once in the opposition area. Still, the decision to replace him was booed — just as it was when Slaven Bilic (above) took him off 64 minutes into a similarly mediocre performance against Huddersfield, with the scores tied 0-0. Yet on both occasions, the substitution changed the game. Diafra Sakho came on and scored the winner against Swansea; minus Hernandez, West Ham went on to beat Huddersfield 2-0 and his replacement, Andre Ayew, assisted the first and scored the second. So maybe it is time the locals gave Bilic a break. If he played to the gallery, rather than his instincts, the club’s position would be far, far worse.