West Ham manager Slaven Bilic focused on football not future
Friday 27 October 2017 14:16, UK
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic insists he is not thinking about the rumours that persist about his future.
Bilic has been under increasing pressure with the team winning just two of their nine league games this season, the 3-0 defeat at home to Brighton last Friday leaving them 16th in the table ahead of Saturday's trip Crystal Palace.
West Ham's stunning comeback to beat Tottenham 3-2 in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday when they were 2-0 down at half-time has gone some way to ease the pressure on Bilic, but he is under no illusions that defeat at bottom club Palace would up the ante again.
He said: "I know our situation, our situation also determines my situation. All I can say is that it is a massively important game and we have to get some points after we lost against Brighton at home.
"There are rumours and all that. I talk to the chairman, not every day, but often enough and I know my situation and I know our situation.
"But I am totally focused on the things that I can influence and that is only the training, talking to the players, and the game. I am totally focused on the game because only with that in your head can you improve and affect those kind of rumours."
Bilic was delighted by the resilience his side showed at Wembley in midweek and he is hoping they can carry that momentum into their league campaign.
"For the next game it is very important," he added. "We want to continue like that and we want to use that kind of a win, and self-confidence now, when we approach the game tomorrow.
"But tomorrow is a new game and definitely we are in a position to build on something that was good only a couple of days ago. It's a game of massive importance and we have to show the same quality and character."
