The manager is yet to find a formula that incorporates the talents of Dimitri Payet and his string of summer signings into a coherent collective
At points this season it has seemed not only were the problems of the world on Slaven Bilic’s shoulders but also those of Venus and Jupiter too. The West Ham United manager has been forced to defend his club’s new stadium, their stewarding set-up, the quality of the pitch, the intensity of his training regime and his players’ propensity for injury. It has been tough. One upside to such a barrage of distractions, however, is that he has not had to talk about the football much.
West Ham face Swansea City at the Liberty Stadium on Boxing day in what is not quite but nearly a six-pointer. Back-to-back home wins against Burnley and Hull City have moved the Hammers up to 13th but victories over the side now bottom of the league and the one with the worst away form in the division are not a cause for huge celebration and the manner in which they were achieved was not entirely convincing.
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