Former Hammers stopper David James has his say on the Club's excellent season so far
Former West Ham goalkeeper David James made 102 appearances for the Hammers over three seasons with the Club. He thinks Slaven Bilic is the main reason for the side’s excellent form…
Hello everyone,
I played in Mark Noble’s Testimonial on Monday which was great fun and a fantastic day. Mark deserved the occasion as he’s been a terrific player for the Club for a long time now.
West Ham are having an excellent season, and I think Slaven Bilic has commanded the ship tremendously well. I personally think that at the beginning of the season, with the Europa Leauge games being played, the decision to stick to his guns regarding the team selection, was the correct call.
Many would have excused him for not doing so, given the result, but look how the season has panned out since – it’s proved to be a great decision and the Club could now potentially finish in a Champions League place.
As a player, I would have seen that decision as the manager being honest and trustworthy and basically it was the catapult for the trust that you need going forward.
That’s shown with West Ham this season, performance-wise. Player-wise, there have been some tremendous individuals; Payet and Antonio, amongst others, have all done very well, but you need your manager to be the guy that you respect and trust and I think all the players trust and respect him. That’s why West Ham are having such a good season.
They’re exciting times for the Club, absolutely. I was a little bit wary of the decision to move to the new Stadium when it was announced, given West Ham’s up and down performances in the Premier League previously, and arguably, there was no guarantee that West Ham would be in the Premier League going into the move.
But this season has been the best one ever, and it is an exciting time. The plans to change the venue to make it very ‘West Ham United’ are great and the fact that so many West Ham fans are on side with it is also brilliant.
It obviously helps that the team are playing well, but it would appear to be a great decision in the main. You know – European football at the Olympic Park – that’s what dreams are made of, aren’t they?
Hello everyone,
I played in Mark Noble’s Testimonial on Monday which was great fun and a fantastic day. Mark deserved the occasion as he’s been a terrific player for the Club for a long time now.
West Ham are having an excellent season, and I think Slaven Bilic has commanded the ship tremendously well. I personally think that at the beginning of the season, with the Europa Leauge games being played, the decision to stick to his guns regarding the team selection, was the correct call.
Many would have excused him for not doing so, given the result, but look how the season has panned out since – it’s proved to be a great decision and the Club could now potentially finish in a Champions League place.
As a player, I would have seen that decision as the manager being honest and trustworthy and basically it was the catapult for the trust that you need going forward.
That’s shown with West Ham this season, performance-wise. Player-wise, there have been some tremendous individuals; Payet and Antonio, amongst others, have all done very well, but you need your manager to be the guy that you respect and trust and I think all the players trust and respect him. That’s why West Ham are having such a good season.
They’re exciting times for the Club, absolutely. I was a little bit wary of the decision to move to the new Stadium when it was announced, given West Ham’s up and down performances in the Premier League previously, and arguably, there was no guarantee that West Ham would be in the Premier League going into the move.
But this season has been the best one ever, and it is an exciting time. The plans to change the venue to make it very ‘West Ham United’ are great and the fact that so many West Ham fans are on side with it is also brilliant.
It obviously helps that the team are playing well, but it would appear to be a great decision in the main. You know – European football at the Olympic Park – that’s what dreams are made of, aren’t they?