An emphatic 4-1 defeat at home to Liverpool on Saturday appears to be the final nail in Slaven Bilić’s coffin. The Croatian who was hired back in 2015, managed 109 games in East London, has now been sacked by the club. However, after 11 games this season, West Ham sit in 18th place with only 9 points to their name. Such form wasn’t going be tolerated much longer, and Saturday proved to be the last straw.
In a statement released by the club, they believed the change was imperative for the club “to move forward positively and in line with their ambition.” Clearly sitting in the relegation zone was not in their plans and the board have swiftly acted to alter their fortunes.
Here are three replacements for Slaven Bilić.
3 Sam Allardyce
There are not many more experienced managers in English football than Sam Allardyce. In a career spanning just under 20 years, the 63-year-old has managed 8 clubs. In his previous tenure at West Ham, Allardyce won 69 out of 181 matches, averaging 1.39 points per game. His record speaks itself, and as a man that’s never been relegated from the Premier League, the Hammers need him more than he needs them.
His long ball, tough-tackling, defensively resolute and organised style is the perfect recipe for Premier League survival. West Ham needs such organisation as they’ve already conceded 23 goals this season. Allardyce would firstly focus on this leaking defence and then deploy a lethal counter-attacking strategy.
2 Roberto Mancini
The former Premier League winner is currently managing 2nd place Zenit in Russia. But as a man that’s done it all in England, we all know the Italian has the talents to be managing in the biggest league in the world. Roberto Mancini is one of football’s last great modern coaches, his pragmatic approaches to training mixed with his meticulous eye for detail has meant he’s been successful everywhere he’s gone.
In his 16-year career, Roberto Mancini has won 13 major honours as a manager. He knows what it takes to win, the only asterisk attached to his name pertains to whether he can coach a team that doesn’t have star quality. At West Ham, Mancini would be presented with the hardest challenge of his career, a challenge he’s more than capable to overcome.
1 David Moyes
The bookies believe the Scotsman could be hired as early as this week. Moyes has already publicly confirmed he’d be interested in taking the job, as he’s been out of employment since May. His style of football may not be the most expansive or attractive, but in the Premier League, he’s proved himself time & time again.
He’s arguably Everton’s most successful manager ever, and since his departure, the Toffees have declined rapidly. At Goodison Park, Moyes took Everton to the Champions League, whilst winning a whopping 218 games. With a 60,000-seater London Stadium, financial backing and players like Manuel Lanzini at his disposal, David Moyes could easily turn this sinking ship around.
