West ham endured a difficult season last term but an upturn in form towards the end of the campaign raised hope ahead of the new season. The board decided to stick with Slaven Bilic and have bolstered the squad significantly but positive results have not been forthcoming.

A defeat to Manchester United on the opening weekend was hardly surprising but the manner of their next defeat to Southampton, where the Hammers fell 2-0 behind in a woeful first-half but managed to pull level until a late penalty decided the game, was far from ideal.

It leaves West Ham in a tricky situation ahead of another difficult away trip to Newcastle United ahead of the international break, where another defeat would lead to a wealth of issues, and there’s already been suggestions to say that Bilic could be relieved of his managerial role.

That would be a bold decision considering it was only a few months ago that the Hammers decided to stick with Slaven Bilic rather than seek a replacement for their Croatian boss but if they are to relieve him of his duties they need to do it sooner rather than later.

It may be early days in the season but it’s clear there is issues at West Ham. A negative result against Newcastle, a side that has also lost their opening two games, would leave the Hammers with plenty of problems to resolve.

West Ham’s decision to potentially relieve Bilic may perhaps be premature but if this is the route they are to go down then it’s better to make the decision immediately rather than in a few weeks. If he goes before the international break, a new manager has plenty of time to get prepared.

In fact, you could argue it’s worth making the change immediately as it’s pretty clear that Bilic does not have a long-term future at West Ham. The Hammers need immediate improvements and they could get that by seeking a new manager, although finding the right man may not be easy.

It is worth noting though that Bilic has not yet been able to select a full strength side due to injuries leaving the likes of Manuel Lanzini and Cheikhou Kouyate unavailable, whilst he must also prepare to be without Marko Arnautovic after the club’s record signing was sent off in the defeat to Southampton.