There aren’t many connections with West Ham United on show at Euro 2016. Dimitri Payet has shown what a world class player he is, two man of the match performances and an inch of the crossbar away from being the joint top goalscorer in the competition, his value is certainly soaring (if we do decide to sell – something I won’t be talking about in this article). Darren Randolph hasn’t done himself any discredit in goal for the Republic of Ireland, although he conceded three goals against Belgium, he hasn’t made any glaring mistakes and looks worthy of a number one spot at a Premier League club. James Collins is yet to feature for Wales but his solidity and no nonsense defending will certainly be of use in the latter stages when a game needs closing out. One man who has perhaps drawn even more plaudits than the magnificent Payet isn’t even a West Ham player, it’s our manager, Slaven Bilic.
Since he took charge last year, we quickly became accustomed to his frank and honest analysis of games. None of this excuse making and sitting on the fence that we so often see from managers nowadays, Bilic says it how it is and everyone knows it. Having been signed up as a pundit for ITV’s coverage of Euro 2016, Bilic has quickly proven himself to be a man who knows his stuff. You expect elite level managers and players to have an extensive knowledge of the game, but they so often struggle to put that knowledge it into words. Thierry Henry is a classic example of someone who has lived and breathed football for his entire life, yet when giving his opinion on a game, he can’t seem to get a formulated point across. There’s something quite endearing and relatable about Bilic, he’s scruffy, funny, he doesn’t beat around the bush and most importantly for a pundit, he explains his opinions in a way that makes sense.
Now much like the problem with Payet showing what he can do on the world stage, Bilic could be putting himself in the shop window for a club that might become a temptation. Granted, West Ham are a club that are going places but if a team that challenges for the title in their league and plays regular Champions League football, it could easily persuade someone who is in the early stages of their managerial career. Now I doubt the president of Real Madrid or chairmen of other Champions League clubs are sat there watching Bilic outshine Iain ‘I don’t like collars on my shirt’ Wright and Lee ‘I need to read my notes before commenting’ Dixon and thinking he’s the man to bring success to their club. The issue lies in Bilic becoming popular amongst rival fans and when their club is looking for a new manager, that could potentially be a deciding factor.
Bilic being poached by another club might be a concern, but the worry lies in something numerous managers in the Premier League have struggled with in the past. The dreaded second season syndrome. Before I get started on this point, I’d like to state that I’m not predicting Bilic will suffer from a period of indifference after a great first season. I’ve already stated in the past that I believe Bilic is the man to take this club on to bigger and better things and I’m confident in his ability to do so. I merely want to address the subject as it isn’t beyond the realms of possibility, even if we want to think it is.
George Burley’s Ipswich followed up a 5th place finish in the 2000-01 with an abysmal showing the following year. With sound investment and a UEFA cup competition to deal with, Ipswich struggled throughout the campaign and were relegated after finishing 18th. Under the guidance of Steve Coppell, Reading suffered a similar fall from grace in the 2007-08 season. The previous year, the newly promoted side managed a remarkable 8th in the Premier League, but just one year later, they were down in the Championship following an 18th placed finish. Alex McLeish suffered a severe bout of second season syndrome whilst in charge of Birmingham during the 2010-11 season. Although it was slightly remedied by Carling Cup success, Birmingham were relegated after finishing 9th the previous year. Yes, every club (and every manager) is different but these are just examples that show these things do happen.
As I said before, I’m not too worried about whether Bilic will maintain the quality of performance we saw this season and I’d like to think there is an air of optimism amongst us fans about our potential to improve. People will claim refereeing decisions cost us a few league positions last year but if we cut out the silly mistakes and manage to turn a few draws into wins, we could really be going places. Keeping hold of our best players is essential and so to is investing in new ones. I’m not going to list who we should or could buy this summer (I think we all need a break from that) but I definitely trust Bilic to identify the right targets and the two Davids to make the right deals.
Is Bilic immune to the second season syndrome? Who knows is the honest answer, and I very much doubt it is my opinion on the matter. For now, I’m going to enjoy watching Bilic on ITV for the remainder if Euro 2016 and let my excitement for next season continue to build.
COYI!