Forget Jaap Stam, West Ham must back Bilic and move on

Forget Jaap Stam, West Ham must back Bilic and move on

Considering the struggles West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has endured this season, the continued talk around his future is not only disrespectful, but will be helping no one at the London Stadium.

Since making the move away from Upton Park, the Hammers have faced trouble on the pitch and in the stands as well as dealing with their star man deciding he’d had enough halfway through an already turbulent season and going on strike.

Bilic’s side may not have picked up too many wins since January, however, their performances having lost the creative talent of Dimitri Payet have been impressive.

Furthermore, having quite clearly had a lot of signings from the boardroom dropped on him at the start of the season, the Croatian has managed to bring a couple of decent additions through to the first team, with Andre Ayew and Edimilson Fernandes having stepped up as well as Jose Fonte and Robert Snodgrass arriving in the January window.



With the end of the season now in sight and the east Londoners safe after looking like they could have been dragged into a relegation scrap, talk is beginning over how to push on come next term.

One rumour which has emerged over the international break is that, rather than keep Bilic on over the summer, the powers that be in Stratford will move for Reading manager Jaap Stam.

The Manchester United icon, who took over at the Madejski Stadium at the start of the season, has taken the Royals into the play-offs in fine form and signed Hammers youngster Reece Oxford on loan in the January window.

Since making the move to Berkshire, Oxford has noted just how professional the Dutchman’s setup is, claiming that the intensity of their training was well above of that back at his parent club.

Those comments seemed to have got some board members thinking, however, there is no assurance that Stam is the answer to their problems.

Bilic has created a very collective atmosphere at the club since the departure of Payet, the players have come together and rallied behind their manager, in fitting with the club’s very close ties when it comes to fans and the club itself.

In the Dutch manager, they would have someone who is rarely willing to toe the line in terms of comments coming from those above him, Stam works very much on his own agenda whether that be with players or his employers, if there is something to his dislike he’ll speak out over it, which wouldn’t appear to suit the likes of David’s Gold and Sullivan.

Whilst the Royals boss looks to be setting out on a prestigious managerial career, it would be too much of a risk to assume that he can make the step up to the level required in Stratford after just one season in the second tier of English football.

Furthermore, it would be best for all in east London if the board were to stop moving from one side to another and tie Bilic down to an extended deal, enabling everyone to move on a kick onto that next level.