West Ham daring to dream

As West Ham prepare to play their final match at the Boleyn Ground, Nick Lustig examines the impact Slaven Bilic has had on the club ahead of their move to the Olympic Stadium…

“Be careful what you wish for” 

That’s what the vast majority said when Sam Allardyce left West Ham at the end of last season. Many feared West Ham could go the same way as Allardyce’s former sides – Bolton, Blackburn and Newcastle – in being relegated from the Premier League following his departure.

The impending move from the Boleyn Ground to the Olympic Stadium made relegation unthinkable – West Ham could ill-afford to be playing Championship football in their new 60,000-seater home. 

It was not the season to be gambling on a manager, least of all a manager with no Premier League experience. But David Sullivan and David Gold rolled the dice when they decided to appoint Slaven Bilic.

It was a brave and bold decision. Yes, Bilic had impressed considerably during his time as Croatia head coach, but his less successful spells in club management with Lokomotiv Moscow and Besiktas left question marks over him.

His appointment was a risk – Sullivan even labelling it a “gamble” himself – but the West Ham ownership have been rewarded for their bravery  and then some. 

There can be no doubt now that the decision to part company with Allardyce was the right one. Bilic has led West Ham to …

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