It is now a two-man race between Slaven Bilic and Marcelo Bielsa to become the fifteenth West Ham manager, expected to be announced in the next 48 hours. Bielsa will no doubt bring success to West Ham and help lead the club forward, but Bilic is 100% our man. It was always going to be Bilic, and that is no bad thing.
The Croat was mobbed at the airport with good-bye wishers, thanking him for his time at Beşiktaş. Finishing third in the Superlig, he did not qualify Beşiktaş for Champions League football, a major factor in why he left the club. But to bring Beşiktaş to the heights he did on limited budget is the attractive part that Marseille manager Marcelo Bielsa just does not understand. “El Loco,” as Bielsa is called, would have brought a very exciting new style to Upton Park, however, his demand of £75 million for transfers was outrageous, and just not in West Ham’s price range as of yet.
While it does hurt to miss out on André-Pierre Gignac, who would have come should Bielsa be appointed, Bilic could bring Demba Ba back to West Ham, although unlikely. The Senegalese striker spoke out that Bilic is the right man for West Ham, saying “He has that German mentality and in football that German mentality helps a lot because they are very disciplined and do things right in football. If he comes [to West Ham] I think and I hope he is going to be successful.” Ba was the lead scorer for West Ham during the 2011 relegation season, and a return to the Boleyn Ground would be very exciting, especially if Andy Carroll does return to Newcastle.
Bilic knows the club and supporters, and while some point to how he left so soon after arriving in 1996, he did have the passion for the club to stave off relegation in 1997. He could have jumped ship to Everton early, but he claimed he had a debt of loyalty to repay to the Hammers, and really helped keep West Ham in the Premier League.
Staying loyal to West Ham, Bilic actually wants the job. Even after being rated lower by the board for much of the managerial search, Bilic has always stayed in the running. He has ambition, a love for rock music, and motivation that may get the most out of Mauro Zarate and Andy Carroll.
On top of loyalty, Bilic has proven himself in European football with Beşiktaş, beating both Liverpool and Tottenham en route to the last 16 in the Europa League. Having a manger with experience in leading teams in Europe will be great for West Ham. The Olympic Stadium is a stage worthy of the top clubs of Europe, and it could all happen for West Ham if we go about this correctly.
With the way West Ham fans held the door open for Sam Allardyce to leave, seeing the scenes in Turkey of the departure of Bilic, their beloved manager, brings excitement to the prospect of a real fan- favourite at manager. David Gold and David Sullivan want to appoint a manager who will be backed strongly by fans after a divided east London over Allardyce. In 48 hours’ time, it should be Slaven Bilic’s Claret and Blue army, not Marcelo Bielsa’s.
