Friday 3 July 2015 09:40, UK
The Slaven Bilic era kicked off with a 3-0 win over Lusitans in the first round of Europa League qualifying on Thursday night, reports Adam Bate.
There was optimism in the air as well as the bubbles at Upton Park as the Slaven Bilic era began in relative style with a convincing 3-0 win over Andorran side Lusitans. Smart pricing had ensured that it was a sell-out of 34,966 to kick off the club’s emotional final season at the Boleyn Ground and the fans were in the mood to enjoy themselves in the summer sun.
On the face of it, there wasn’t too much to get excited about in the Hammers line-up. After all, reserve goalkeeper Darren Randolph was the only new arrival among the starters. It was all more Diego Poyet than Dimitri Payet, but the supporters were soon on the feet when Bilic was introduced to the crowd. His 18 months here as a player have clearly not been forgotten.
“We know he understands what the supporters want and will bring exciting, attacking football this season,” claimed West Ham’s co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold in their programme notes. “He certainly knows the West Ham way.” There was no mention of Sam Allardyce but the perceived functionality of his Hammers side provides the context for this fan-friendly appointment.
We know he understands what the supporters want and will bring exciting, attacking football this season. He certainly knows the West Ham way.
Bilic used his own address to set out his aim “to play good football and to win matches” for West Ham. The Croat didn’t specify an order of priority but Hammers fans might be encouraged enough that they were mentioned in the same breath. Whatever the plans for the future, Bilic took up his place in the stands and left this Europa League first-round clash to academy manager Terry Westley.
This was pre-season with a twist and it didn’t take the West Ham fans long to realise that Lusitans were planning to rely heavily on tactical fouling in order to limit the damage. Some of the robust tackles did serve the purpose of reminding the home side that this was no friendly and ensured that the large crowd was nothing but patient even when the breakthrough goal took time to come.
Come it did. Morgan Amalfitano and Matt Jarvis had far too much quality on the flanks and while Diafra Sakho headed one clear opportunity over the bar, it always felt as if time was on their side. Sakho’s first came five minutes before half-time when he headed in from close range and the Senegal striker then capitalised on unselfish play by Amalfitano to add a second in first-half stoppage time.
Amalfitano was in playful mood after the break, trying tricks, flicks and 40-yard shots but it was Jarvis who wriggled free in the box to cross for James Tomkins to head home a third, just after Reece Oxford had flashed a shot wide from distance just minutes earlier. There was a real sense of fun to proceedings and a lightening of the mood that was a welcome accompaniment to all the nostalgia.
From the retro shirts to the old-style programme, everything about West Ham this season seems to be about looking both backwards and forwards – tying the old to the new. That requires a manager who will embrace rather rail against those emotions and in that sense at least, it seems they have the right man. Bilic is unlikely to shy away from talking up his bond with the club.
After this three-goal win, the next job for Bilic is the routine matter of seeing off Lusitans in the return leg and then it’s either Birkirkara of Malta or Armenian side Ulisses in the second qualifying round. There’ll be 23 games for West Ham to negotiate if they are to win this competition, qualify for the Champions League and really make a mockery of the theory that this is a mere distraction.
But in the meantime they might just dish out enough feel-good hammerings to gather some momentum ahead of a Premier League season in which they dare not fail with the Olympic Stadium switch looming. Judging by the atmosphere at Upton Park on Thursday, fear of failure doesn’t seem to be on the West Ham agenda for 2015/16 just yet.
Player ratings
West Ham (4-4-2): Randolph (6); O’Brien (7), Tomkins (7), Burke (7), Page (6); Amalfitano (8), Oxford (7), Poyet (6), Jarvis (7); Zarate (7), Sakho (8). Subs: Cullen (7), Lee (6), Parfitt-Williams (6).
Man of the match: Diafra Sakho. West Ham’s top scorer from 2014/15 finished two chances well and might have had an assist after the break too. Surely denied a hat-trick only by his substitution.
