West Ham stars hold crisis talks over poor start

WEST HAM players held crisis talks yesterday as boss Slaven Bilic faced fresh scrutiny over his job.

The training ground meeting came after captain Mark Noble tore into team-mates during a heated dressing room inquest after Friday’s embarrassing home defeat by Brighton.

The silence in the dressing room after the match annoyed Noble, who was an unused substitute in the 3-0 loss. The captain felt the players should have showed more emotion. And yesterday after discussions with Bilic, Noble (right) led talks with the squad in a bid to revive their season.

Fears are growing behind the scenes that the under-pressure manager is losing the dressing room. And the Hammers board also held meetings yesterday to address the club’s plight.

Players are questioning Bilic’s tactics and techniques, while the fact the Croat is almost certain not to be the manager beyond the end of the season — when his current deal expires — is undermining his authority.

It is hoped yesterday’s meeting can spark a positive response from the Hammers, who face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup at Wembley tomorrow night before a crucial Premier League game at Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Bilic will be desperate to see an improvement from his team against Spurs after the Brighton debacle. The next two games will be pivotal in determining if he keeps his job.

Defeat at Wembley followed by another at Selhurst Park would likely result in Bilic being sacked, despite co- owner David Sullivan’s insistence last week that the manager’s position would only be reviewed at the end of the season.