Wednesday 10 May 2017 06:28, UK
Slaven Bilic has enjoyed mixed fortunes during his two-year spell at West Ham, but is it time for the Croatian to leave?
The Hammers' 1-0 victory over rivals Tottenham on Friday Night Football finally guaranteed their Premier League survival after a difficult first season at London Stadium.
Despite the win, talks over a new contract for Bilic are on hold and Sky Sports News HQ understands the 48-year-old's position will be reviewed at the end of the season.
It is a far cry from last season when Bilic led West Ham to their highest ever points total in the Premier League- 62 - as they finished in seventh place, securing qualification for the Europa League.
So, does that leave the West Ham manager still in credit or facing the sack? Ahead of the Super Sunday clash against Liverpool, live on Sky Sports 1 HD, Nick Lustig assesses whether Bilic should still be in charge next season…
SUMMER SIGNINGS
A case can be made that West Ham's failings on the pitch this season were more due to disappointing recruitment rather than the much-publicised move from the Boleyn Ground to London Stadium. A scattergun approach to transfers last summer, with the club preparing to play in the Premier League as well as the Europa League, left Bilic with a disjointed squad that at times lacked functionality and cohesion.
The experiment of playing Michail Antonio at right-back came to a rather inevitable conclusion in August and left Bilic with three right wingers following the arrivals of Sofiane Feghouli and Gokhan Tore. It also left him with a gap at right-back, with the subsequent acquisition of former Liverpool and Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa doing little to fill that hole.
The failure to sign a recognised goalscorer has also blighted West Ham, with an all too familiar picture forming with Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho once again struck down by a series of injuries. It has left them 20 goals worse off from last season and light in terms of capable options.
Simone Zaza's disastrous loan spell was cut short in January after 11 games without a goal, while Andre Ayew, Ashley Fletcher and Jonathan Calleri are still yet to make any real goalscoring impact following their summer moves.
There is currently an apparent lack of clarity on who is making the decisions on the players the club signs, with Bilic, head of recruitment Tony Henry and co-owner David Sullivan all involved in the dialogue. This confusion has transmitted into the club's transfer dealings and unless Bilic is given freedom to build the squad he wants, it is hard to make a case against him.
VERDICT: Bilic must take part of the blame on the club's recruitment, however, he deserves the chance of another summer transfer window to rectify last year's failings. Bilic stays.
COPING WITHOUT DIMITRI PAYET
The acrimonious departure of the France midfielder in January cannot be underestimated. Payet was integral to the way West Ham played under Bilic and his return to Marseille left the Hammers boss without his talisman for the second half of the season.
Payet was instrumental in West Ham's memorable final season at the Boleyn Ground, providing 12 goals, the same number of assists and a catalogue of memorable moments. His sensational form was duly rewarded and then some. A new five-and-a-half year contract, worth £125,000-a-week, made Payet the highest-paid player in the club's history, a mural for him was created at London Stadium and a £1m loyalty bonus also followed.
But the new season did not bring with it the Payet from the previous year. Rumours of the 30-year-old's discontent at the club had already begun to circulate following his brilliant Euro 2016 campaign. And although there were fleeting moments of the old Payet, the same desire to play for the club was no longer apparent and it came as no surprise in early January when Bilic went public on the French international's refusal to play because of his wish to return to Marseille.
It left Bilic with a huge predicament, but one he dealt with admirably. Payet was demoted to the U23s squad before eventually sealing his £25m move back to the south of France, while Bilic turned his focus to uniting his squad and building his team around midfield playmaker Manuel Lanzini.
"We have talked about the importance of Manuel Lanzini last year. But of course from some players on the ball you are expecting more and for sure, he is one of them," Bilic said in January.
Lanzini has certainly stepped up to the plate and been nothing less than superb for West Ham. No longer in the shadow of Payet, Lanzini has become the go-to man and creative spark for his team-mates. A shift into a more central attacking role has enabled Lanzini to increase his influence on matches and it is no surprise that his stats show a vast improvement in his productivity on the pitch.
Bilic certainly deserves enormous credit for not allowing the negativity from the Payet saga to derail his side's battle to secure Premier League safety, while the decision to promote Lanzini to the fore has been vindicated and allowed supporters to forget about the once revered Frenchman.
VERDICT: Losing your best player midway through a season is a manager's worst nightmare, but Bilic has managed to find a way of playing without Payet and a formula that has guided West Ham to Premier League safety. Bilic stays.
LONDON STADIUM
The first season at London Stadium was always going to prove difficult for West Ham following 112 years at the Boleyn Ground. Persistent standing, ineffective segregation and crowd trouble were the teething issues that overshadowed the opening months at the club's new home - serious issues, but not ones that are likely to have impacted on player performances.
However, what Bilic and the players have had to contend with is a longer pitch and fans who are further away. The pitch at the London Stadium is 4.5 metres longer and, in March, Michail Antonio admitted the new dimensions had caused difficulties.
He said: "We're not used to the pitch, we're not used to the size of it. It's massive. The Boleyn was a nice, tight ground, and we could get round pressing. Now we have to sit back and choose when to go. It has taken time but we have got used to it."
Heavy home defeats to Southampton, Arsenal and Manchester City certainly did not help, but West Ham are not the first club to find it hard in their first season in a new stadium. Manchester City struggled in their maiden campaign at the City of Manchester Stadium (later renamed the Etihad Stadium) and ultimately finished in 16th place.
Recent home form has improved. Victory over London rivals Tottenham is certain to have gone a long way to making London Stadium feel more like home for West Ham and also keeps them within touching distance of securing a top-10 finish.
VERDICT: It was always going to take time for West Ham to settle into their new surroundings and Bilic faced an unenviable task of attempting to provide an immediate winning formula. Bilic stays.
