Slaven Bilic has called on the smaller Premier League clubs to target Champions League qualification after leading West Ham into third spot following a surprising start to the season.
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However, Bilic has insisted that his side can not afford to rest on their laurels, but is confident that they will be able to maintain their form due to the quality at his disposal.
Former West Ham player Stuart Slater told the ‘Knees Up Mother Brown’ podcast that the Portuguese manager had been talking to the ball boys and mascots before the game, when one of them said, “We’re going to beat you!”
“I think Mourinho must be shell-shocked because he has never experienced anything like this in his career – we are all expecting things to change but they haven’t”. He scored his first worldwide goal against the Netherlands in September; the first goal of the game in a 3-0 win that helped seal qualification.
We hope to continue like this because we have good players and a good team spirit. Whenever we get ahead, we win. “It is very enjoyable so far”.
Last season, Allardyce’s West Ham touched the top four until their confidence vanished after Christmas.
Toss in a shoddy defense, which has allowed the second most goals of any team in the top half of the table, and the start begins to seem more fortuitous than sustainable. “They were just so orderly and I was so impressed because they were so full of fun”.
“I rate Quique really highly”, added Bilic.
Bilic said that he goes game by game in terms of his specific preparations but he revealed that the season has been planned in relation to fitness and other details.
West Ham joint-chairman David Sullivan is dreaming of winning the Barclays Premier League and FA Cup double this season.
We are only a quarter of the way through the season. “He is a great coach, he has got the most nationalities in the team and to make them look like a team that has been playing together for three or four years, it is a great job”. He can hold the ball up and is good at creating space for other players to score.
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Few teams have recruited as shrewdly as West Ham, and much of the credit has to go to their new director of recruitment Tony Henry. He is nearly impossible to mark in the box but he can also link up play.
