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Slaven Bilic hoping for home comforts against Huddersfield as West Ham coach feels the heat
Slaven Bilic has targeted at least six points from West Ham United’s forthcoming three Premier League home matches as he attempts to shore up his position as manager.
West Ham face Huddersfield Town at the London Stadium on Monday, their first home match of the season, after three away defeats – and 10 goals conceded – have left them in bottom-place in the Premier League.
Following the crushing defeat away to Newcastle United before the international break, serious consideration was given by the West Ham hierarchy to sacking Bilic who is the final year of his contract at the club and knows he is again under mounting pressure.
At that time, and following talks, it was decided that Bilic would be given four more league matches, until the next international break, to turn things around but if West Ham were to lose to Huddersfield, the Croat – who celebrated his 49th birthday on Sunday - would be in danger of losing his job before then. Ironically, both Newcastle manager Rafa Benitez and Huddersfield’s David Wagner are among the managers believed to be admired by the West Ham hierarchy.
“When we were talking in the beginning about three away games, we said, ‘It will get even by the end of September’,” Bilic said. “After seven games, you will come into a normal routine. Home, away, home, away. We are not targeting like that, like minimum four or seven (points) from the next four games.
“We are looking for a win on Monday night. We are looking. From the next four games we have three home games, and we are looking to win at least two of them. Then we would have a chance in the third one and then we would have a chance in our away game, but that would be good.”
Bilic said that West Ham’s home form would be the “key” to their prospects. “You need to get the points at home. That’s a must,” he said. “This isolated game is doubly important because we have zero points from three away games. So we need the points, whether we play home or away now. Home form is the key.”
After Huddersfield – who are yet to concede a goal in the top-flight and have made an impressive start to the campaign – West Ham are away to West Bromwich Albion and then at home to Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City with, also, an EFL Cup tie at home to Bolton Wanderers.
Bilic is aware how precarious his position is with the club’s owners having expressed their concerns, also voiced last season, over tactics and training methods. Crucially, though, Bilic retains the full support of the players and has proven in the past that he has the ability to produce results under pressure. He managed to keep West Ham in the Premier League last season, with an 11th place finish, despite the tricky move to their new stadium.
Matters have become more strained following the failure to sign midfielder William Carvalho during the summer transfer window, with West Ham becoming involved in an unseemly row with the Portuguese international’s current club, Sporting. That has also put the spotlight back on West Ham’s owners and the mood inside the London Stadium on Monday could also have a bearing on Bilic’s future.
“I am expecting for us to build from where we stopped last year. I feel, and I spoke with the players, and the feedback is that we want to play on Monday night at home,” Bilic said. “We want to play at home. We accept the new stadium as a home for us now. We have to cope with it and mentally we are definitely in a better shape mentally and a win will get us back.”