Hammers finally give Bilic boost with win bonus
JAMES COLLINS is happy to play the numbers game now that West Ham have finally won a game.
Cheikhou Kouyate’s first Premier League goal of the season was just enough to see off Swansea, whose own fear of the drop stopped them exploiting the Hammers’ losing streak.
It ended a five-match run of defeats that put boss Slaven Bilic’s job in jeopardy and kept Paul Clement’s Swans third from bottom.
West Ham are now almost safe on 36 points and surely will be if they win at Sunderland at the weekend.
Veteran defender Collins, the rock Swansea could not get break, was cautiously optimistic.
Relief
He said: “You never know. West Ham went down years ago on 42 points, so you can never say what number it is going to be.
“It was just getting that monkey off our back where we haven’t won or kept a clean sheet for a long time and now we have done it. Hopefully we can kick on.
“As mad as it sounds, if we win on Saturday we can probably go 10th or even higher.”
Collins, 33, who was only playing because Winston Reid is injured, is in the twilight of his career.
But he celebrated the final whistle like it was a cup final, getting down on his knees and beating the turf in a mixture of joy and released frustration.
He said: “It was just sheer relief. I had been thinking about it all week. I knew how big this game was and coming back into the team, I wanted to do well.”
The win was also big for Bilic, who still might find himself squeezed out in the summer but has at least weathered yet another London Stadium storm.
Collins said: “He is one of the best managers I have worked for in my long career.
“He is such a nice guy and everyone wants to do well for him.
“You can see how passionate he is about this football club so to put in a dogged performance and win, however it comes, is good for us and good for him.
“He is a legend at this club and he has been getting a lot of stick, a lot of pressure on him.
“I am personally delighted we have done it for him to ease the pressure because I could see it was getting to him.”
Clement used to be Carlo Ancelotti’s right-hand man and is finding it tough getting losers to believe they can win.
Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat at home to Tottenham, which was on course to be a 1-0 win until the 88th minute, seems to have knocked the stuffing out of them.
Keeper Lukasz Fabianski said: “What happened against Tottenham the other night is part of football, what you have to deal with as a professional.
“But there is always another challenge right in front of you and that’s how we are going to approach next game.
“If we continue to put in the effort we showed in the second half, then for sure we will give ourselves a chance.
“We have to start better against Watford, that’s for sure. We have to perform better.”
Luckily Swansea also have the Sunderland card to play, at the Stadium of Light next month, but it might be too late. 6; Byram WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Randolph 7; Kouyate 7, 7, Fonte 7, COLLINS 8, Masuaku 70, 5), A Ayew 6 Noble 7; Snodgrass 6 (Feghouli 5 (Calleri 40). (Fernandes 86), Lanzini 7; Antonio Sakho. Subs: Adrian, Nordtveit, A Carroll, League, NEXT UP: Sunderland (a), Premier Saturday. 7; Naughton SWANSEA (4-3-3): Fabianski 7; Fer 6, 6, Mawson 7, Fernandez 7, Olsson 5 (Llorente 46, 5); Cork 5 (Montero 65, 5), T Carroll 5 (Narsingh Sigurdsson 6, J AYEW 7, Routledge Kingsley. 46, 5). Subs: Nordfeldt, Amat, Ki, League, NEXT UP: Watford (a), Premier Saturday. Referee: Kevin Friend 7. Swansea last YOUR TURN: In which year did 1986 or 2016? win away at West Ham – 1956,