He’s done it again folks. And this time it was Manchester City.
Slaven Bilić, in his first year as manager in the Premiership, has gotten his West Ham United side hitting the ground running to start the young season. West Ham have already defeated Arsenal and Liverpool this year, both on the road, and they did it again Saturday in Manchester, defeating City 2-1.
That’s now three huge road victories in the first six matches of the season. Billić’s only blemishes: he couldn’t beat Leicester or Bournemouth at home.
Seems like Bilić has brought the Croatian football mentality to West Ham: playing to your opponent’s level. But that’s a conversation for another day.
The Manchester City win was huge. One can argue that Liverpool and Arsenal are in the decline with recent Premiership and European results, but Manchester was a perfect 5-0 to start the season and hadn’t even conceded a goal before their match with West Ham Saturday.
Motivation is half the battle and it looks like Bilić has his squad’s respect. West Ham currently sit second place on the English table and have a light schedule the next few weeks with Leicester, Norwich, Sunderland and Crystal Palace meetings before they play Chelsea on October 24th.
I firmly believe Bilić will once again manage the Croatian national side. But does he have enough at his disposal in London to help West Ham finish top four and play in the Champions League?
At this pace, it’s not inconceivable.
After the Euros, we will see a LOT of retirements (and not just from the really old players like Olić and Srna)
Modrić for sure, likely Ćorluka as well will be gone. I think Mandžo is too much of an Ujo to retire from the NT early, but I could see his attitude toward the coach being a problem.
If we had a legit coach, that would entice Modrić to become an Andrea Pirlo for us, but not with another mediocre coach.
Fans and fan groups are already boming social media (the savez site and individual players) asking them to not play for the repka.
This will be fun.
Can’t wait to see this atmosphere around the team. If you thought the atmosphere around Strucnjak Stimac and Kum Kovac were bad, this will be better.
I think in the near future we’ll either see:
a. Players step up and call out how the NT and savez has turned into a complete farce. Possibly the only way some change can be seen?
b. Players will begin to leave the NT “to concentrate on their club football careers” – and just coast out of the picture without causing too many ripples.
Slaven should know better than what he did in the pic. Croatia was deducted one point for the Swastika on the grass and the NT is being watched closely. Why did he have to give the salute in this pic. I am surprised the media isn’t all over him.
I don’t have a cookie cutter formula. If a veteran is not getting playing time at the club level and has a history I would call him up. Just tought to do with kids who cant crack the lineup and then expect them to do anything on the repka. Plus, what you overlook is the locker room and how other players will react when someone is favored and gets playing time and hasn’t done anything to deserve it or earn it.
So Rebic deserves time because he is fast and powerful????? Not because he is any good????? OK, lets overlook the fact he cant get playing time at the club level and when he does he runs around like an idiot on the field (not my words, the words of a former coach).
Nothing wrong with having a player earn his way.
Either way, it doesn’t really matter after today’s hiring of Cacic. As many are saying in Cro media today, including former players, this begins the death of the national team. If you thought what our fans have done up to this point was something, just wait to you see what is coming.
Shit first half by Wilson is gonna cost me.
@yik
You read my rationale, but you choose to ignore it.
If you disagree, then why don’t you put in a suggestion with some actual analysis behind it?
(instead of freaking out and sulking like a little bitch)
Maminjo post of the week brother!
@ Maminjo
To je ISTINA!
Svaka čast brate.
Share some VISION with our fellow Hrvati.
That ASSIST from Halilovic today is a play I have not seen in 15 years from any Nogomentas.
Rebić deserves minutes because he is FAST and powerful and will stretch the D.
I pray Cacic picks the fastest, youngest and most ATHLETIC squad possible.
The modern game calls for a baseline of athleticism.
It is embarrassing the way Norway ran circles around us and Azerbajan neutralized our attack.
The national team is for young legs and/or world class players. Over the hill, past your prime, focus on club career and make as much money as possible.
There you go Wilson!
Maminjo you remind me of IvicA, same garbage.
Incredible let’s put kramaric and rebic in play because they are doing a great job on the bench.
Thank God you both are not the coach.
Good comment Maminjo. Now let’s all hope for a speedy recovery for Tony Romo, one of the true gentlemen of the game. Look at Romo facing the media with a fractured collarbone, courage personified!
@Ziva
Halilovic deserves time based largely on need and fit. If he can consistently start on his La Liga team, then all the better.
We are in desperate need of additional scoring. We are in desperate need of another winger other than Perisic. We are in desperate need of a midfielder/winger who isn’t afraid of taking a shot outside the box (and can actually put it on target when they do).
We don’t have that many wing options, yet we have a striker who is so dependent on crosses from the wing.
We’ve been relying largely on Olic playing on the wing (who can’t send in a proper cross to save his life), as well as relying on Pranjic & Srna…two 30-something year-old wingbacks who require tons of cover when they exhaust themselves by joining the attack.
Ziva, you constantly praise players like Donovan, who rotted on the bench for his club team, yet always got the start for his National Team, and did very well. There are many examples of other international players who barely play at club level but step it up for their national teams. Greece and Turkey’s entire roster are riddled with these players, even when they went deep in tournaments.
It takes a good football mind to see more than what the status of a player on his club team and the league match reports show. Your cookie cutter formula (where club team play is directly correlated with national team play) doesn’t make sense. In vitro, it should. But in vivo, it just doesn’t.
You babble on and on about things like Mandzo needing service, but you insist on not calling up players that could actually provide that service because they don’t currently provide it at club level, on another team, with a team that probably doesn’t need that skillset for their striker (ie. Rebic on Fiorentina).
Speaking of Rebic, (with exception to his last outing) he plays very well for the national team, yet he’s never even played a full game for his club. Kramaric is another player who’s done pretty well with the time he was gifted on the National Team. Using your formula, guys like Kramaric, Rebic, Halilovic, etc should not be seeing the field…yet I’m pretty sure they would have been much better option for us against the Azeris and Norwegians than watching Olic and Srna embarrass themselves on the field.
That’s what Wilcox does!
This NFL Redzone coverage keeps jumping to other games, did Dallas get the ball back? Who gives a shit about the Ravens and Raiders, and Dolphins and Jaguars games!
Did you guys see what Escobar just did, dopey bastard!
Well done Shawn Lee!
If you put $5 on a multi bet that has Chelsea, West Ham, Inter, Juve and Fiorentina you will get $707. Also did another multi with Inter, Juve, Cowboys and Seahawks, I put $10 on that and will win another $255. I’m gonna eat Nando’s tonight! I’ll get the whole chook, seriously large chips and two glass bottles of coke. That’s right, two glass bottles of coke! I hope Romo didn’t get injured!
We beat Brazil in the davis cup world group play-off so we’ll be back in the world group, good news. Coric did well.
“Good stuff from Halilovic today. Just needs to be better in not losing the ball. This week was much better.”
*spits out coffee all over the screen*
did.. did i just see you make a positive comment, ziva, without actually some backhanded slag on the person???
What the… im…. im GOBSMACKED.
😉
Cacic is a set above Kum Kovac in tactical awareness, but that ain’t saying much because Kum Kovac was about as low as you could go.
Win this hire, once again we will be at a disadvantage whn you compare the coaching of the other teams we go up against at the Euros. Now, we still might win games because we have enough talent to overcome idiots on the bench appointed by Mamic, but this is another example in a long line of examples of where the savez fails to place our team in any position to succeed.
@slavonac……I always give credit and point out the flaws.
He doesn’t already deserve time…….based on what hype??????
Now that he has playing time do I to him, he will have earned his way on the team and not received a gift. Plus, this doesn’t cause issues in the locker room.
And I would like to see Pasalic in the CDM role to free up mode if and/or Rakitoc from having to play that spot. Pasalic has more than enough skill to play that spot where we don’t sacrifice a creative player. Take Badelj for example.
Maminjo thanks for the scoop on Cacic…i guess more failure is in our future…if Cacic can coach…Halilovic can get a call up…he looked good today!
Halilović assisted on the game winning goal today.
He started last game and was rated really high as well.
He already deserves time on the repka. Kid starts on a La Liga team and is playing well. We need to start incorporating both Halilović and Pašalić into the repka.
Yes.
He is a lot more experience, so at least he has that on Kovač and Štimac.
Problem is, he’s had VERY little success in pretty much every single one of his coaching stints. He’s almost never lasted a season before being fired.
His greatest success is “leading” Dinamo to the Champions League and getting that single point against Dinamo Kiev.
It’s good to get an experienced coach (actually, that’s all we should be looking for when we interview) but we should also be taking into account their actual coaching record too, LOL.
I know nothing about Cacic…but wouldn’t he bring more experience than Kovac or Stimac?
I didn’t see Halilovic play today but considering the fact that you’ve been a bit harsh with him (deservedly albeit), I’ll take your word for it!
Nice to see you give credit when it’s due Ziva!
Bilic is a legend.
Good stuff from Halilovic today. Just needs to be better in not losing the ball. This week was much better.
Last time out he had some nice individual moves, but would lose the ball right away. Much better today. More of this and he will deserve time on the repka.
So, if all the leaks are true and Cacic is announced as the coach, what type of conversation via text message do you think the players on the repeat are having.
They have to be laughing their asses off and saying to themselves that he is a joke of a hire.
@ Maminjo
Ako ti hoćeš “zapadna šunka,” VAZI .
With all your quality posts you earned the right!
Bilić does great with player development and with his staff in place our young boys would thrive AND make some £££!
@Soul Champ
West Cro? No.
If West Ham starts bringing in more Croat players, it’s ZAPADNA ŠUNKA all the way.
Best of luck to Bilic. Hes an even better person than he is mangaer. One of the nicest guys you’ll come across in a game filled with huge egos. Ran into him at a Zagreb cafe once and he took time out of his day to bullshit with me and a couple of my friends. On another note, if Zoran Vulic is hired, do you tink UEFA fines us for having a Hitler look-a-like as coach. Just imagine a swastika at midfield with Hitlers bother pacing the sideline. In all seriousness, whoever they pick better work out. This generation is quickly getting old and I hope to see them someday play to their full potential.
@ Rob I
Agreed.
I was thinking of this next wave of teenagers who seem to have potential.
I would like to see more world class players in the squad.
At present we have Modric and Rakitic.
Given we are mentally challenged at the level of coach / Savez , I figure we need EXTRA-talent to win any meaningful matches.
Also want Bilic to be successful at Westham and think a few of our CM crop would support what he is building.
Croat
Agree about United, but they look average compared to how the other teams are playing. they have no fluency.
Soul Champ
Bilic doesn’t need to buy croatians, our players are playing at the biggest clubs in the world. Our problem is they can’t play together as a team and we can’t get the most out of them as individuals for the national team (obvious i know) but
Actually just the fact that we have at least ONE good coach in the prime of his career is a blessing.
Have to say how throughly WACK the coaching has been over all in košarku i nogomet.
I know some put the blame squarely on the players but at the highest levels of competition you need a real leader lining up the talent for maximum effect.
Watching Lithuanian basketball do the job against Serbia, I am struck by the organizing power of their savez. Players were focused as they intently implemented their game plan, everyone playing their role has they competed for the flag. You would of thought it was a home game for Lithuania in Lille?
Marsilonus and Sibonus gave their heart to the Savez and Lithunia consistently shows up for major tournaments.
Now Latvia is following suit.
Czechs gave us the beat down.
I do not see any transcendent players on any of these teams. I see organization, real coaching and players fluoridating in their respective roles.
Unless you are a Dražen Petrović then you need a role in the court.
I’ve noticed Bilic was always good at putting our talent into maximum effect. His crew had no where near the depth of the last 2 years.
I am hope he buys some of our wonder kids and creates West Cro for the next 3 years.
But then you could say that defending is also a big part of the teams strength, you see a club like Man Utd where their squad is a bit unbalanced with them scoring goals but their defenders are doing such a great job. As long as West Ham manage to get results thats all that matters, plus they haven’t been all that bad this season.
good call Soul Camp.
His team hasn’t looked great going forward (apart from Payet). They have got the results on the road by being great defensively and soaking up the pressure.
How good has the kiwi been REID? what a gun
Great start to the season, but Weat Ham has no chance at a top four spot. I would be shocked if they are within 10 points of the fourth placed team.
Will he return one day to Cro????? Sure, either many, many years from now when he decides no more club football and has enough money to stop working or in a perfect scenario where he has no club job and Cro needs a coach for a short period.
You’re right, Iggy, go form a revolutionary group and kick out the refugee’s in Croatia, we got your back!
Who cares. Is EPL
surely we should be discussing the refugee plight rather than this ?
Curious to see how they do when they are not playing counter football and actually have to go attack some of these weaker teams to score ?
Not a chance he goes back to the repka anytime this decade.
He does well at Westham, he will stay for 2-3 years and jump to the next level of club. He is getting paid in Pound Sterling!
He can support us by grooming some of our young studs at West ham.
Wonder what the transfer window will entail for a potential Hajduk pipeline to West ham?
If he is successful at West Ham, he might be there for a while. Im sure he is getting a very nice salary as well managing in the premier league
Would be awesome if he took down Chelsea and Man U on the road as well. He’d be a West Ham legend no matter what happens after that, lol.
Would be nice if he could snag a Croatian prospect in the January window. Too bad he couldn’t get Halilovic. Hopefully Kramaric (once Carroll comes back and flops), but no way Leicester allows it to happen. Pjaca or Rebic on loan would give him more of that flank power he seems to like.