It was a startling admission for a manager to make.
"The dedication to the cause is missing," Slaven Bilic told reporters following West Ham United's 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal last time out. "The majority of the team, individually, have lost that intensity.
“It is not one of the reasons [for West Ham’s poor form]. It is not maybe that. It is a fact: 100 per cent, 500 per cent.”
Publicly criticising your players is generally seen as a last resort after all other options have been exhausted, with Bilic presumably deducing that some sort of dramatic intervention was required as he attempts to inspire an upturn in fortunes. Despite receiving the backing of the club’s hierarchy this week, the ex-Croatia boss will be fully aware that his head could be on the chopping board if things do not improve soon.
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The league table does not make for particularly pleasant reading right now. West Ham would probably have been considered last season’s surprise package were it not for Leicester City’s extraordinary title triumph, yet a club who secured European football with a seventh-place finish in May now find themselves mired in relegation trouble.
Just a single point separates Bilic’s men from the drop zone. Given that a trip to Liverpool is their next assignment, they could easily finish the weekend in the bottom three.
It has been quite the decline. The move from Upton Park to the London Stadium has often been the starting point in discussions seeking to explain West Ham’s slide – despite what Bilic says, there are multiple factors at play – and the effect of the relocation should certainly not be dismissed out of hand.
The new ground has clearly been a disaster from a supporter’s point of view, with the negative atmosphere in the stands contributing to some nervy and tentative showings on the pitch.
As far as the bigger picture is concerned, though, it would be a mistake to attribute all of West Ham’s ills to the difficulties they have encountered at their current home.
The problems began in the summer transfer window, when a total of 12 new players arrived in east London. Such an influx seems to have disrupted the dynamics of the group, particularly as hardly any of the arrivals have made a positive impact.
Simone Zaza, Gokhan Tore, Alvaro Arbeloa, Havard Nordtveit and Jonathan Calleri have all contributed little, while Sofiane Feghouli and Andre Ayew have spent more time on the treatment table than the field of play.
There have been numerous collective failings, too. Only Swansea City have shipped more goals than West Ham in 2016/17, with Bilic’s backline breached 29 times in 14 matches. The side’s defensive organisation against Arsenal was shoddy in the extreme, with Alexis Sanchez and Co afforded far too much time and space to wreak havoc last Saturday evening.
Their problems are not limited to that end of the pitch, either. Dimitri Payet has created more chances than any other player in the division this season, yet West Ham have found the net on just 15 occasions. Injuries have not helped, but a failure to settle on a first-choice centre-forward – seven different players have started up top, including winger-cum-right-back Michail Antonio in the draw with Middlesbrough and defeat by Everton – has been damaging.
“I’m positive that we aren’t going to be in this situation in one month, two months, three months,” Bilic added in his press conference last weekend. “But we are talking about now and now we are.”
Acknowledging the problem is the first step. Now it is time to solve it.
Big six bringing big style
When Manchester United take on Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, it is to be hoped that the game's quality and intensity matches what we have seen in other encounters between the Premier League's top teams so far this season.
The arrival of managers of the calibre of Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp in the last 14 months, as well as the continued presence in the division of Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger and Mauricio Pochettino, has had a hugely positive effect on the quality of football on display.
The vast majority of meetings between the so-called big six have made for excellent viewing this term, ever since Liverpool defeated Arsenal 4-3 on the opening weekend.
Liverpool's 2-1 win at Chelsea, Tottenham's 2-0 defeat of Manchester City, Chelsea's 4-0 thrashing of Manchester United, City's 2-1 victory over United, Chelsea's 2-1 success against Tottenham, Liverpool's 1-1 draw at Tottenham, Chelsea's 3-1 triumph over City and Arsenal's 3-0 win against Chelsea all featured some fantastic football, the standard of which has only been on show sporadically in recent years.
Arsenal’s 1-1 draws with Tottenham and Manchester United did not set the world alight, but the only major disappointment up to now was Liverpool and United’s goalless draw at Anfield – and even that game featured an engrossing tactical battle between two teams with very contrasting approaches.
The six sides’ distinct styles have certainly added another layer of intrigue, with Mourinho’s United arguably the only team lacking a clear identity at present.
It is also pleasing that goals have not been at a premium, unlike during the mid-to-late 2000s – English clubs’ European exploits suggested the Premier League was at its strongest during that period – when 0-0 and 1-0 tended to be the most common scorelines whenever two heavyweights locked horns.
Long may the current trend continue.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
What is a black hole?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset was due to a personal matter.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20Profile
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