Staap It! These manager rumors are merely distraction

Slaven Bilic’s life as West Ham United’s skipper has been living match to match since October. One week he’s the hero of East London. The next, he’s the face of all that is wrong with the footballing world today. While it may seem unfair towards the Croatian manager, that is the nature of the business, just ask Claudio Ranieri.

After saving West Ham from relegation obscurity over the long, cold winter months, short term memory loss has dictated we hold Slaven’s feet over the fire once more. It was only a month ago we reported Bilic was set to negotiate for a contract extension. A few weeks and a few losses later, sources close to the club say negotiations have ceased until the end of the season. Translation? Finish top table, or else. Who cares who makes the transfer decisions, right?

What better way to motivate a manager than to invite candidates to watch games at London Stadium? Or how about putting pen to paper to publicly declare on the club’s website that the coaches better fix it. David Gold and Sullivan really know how to make their employees feel special. Also, who’s to say Slaven Bilic even wants the job anymore? Frankly, with the way he’s been treated, he might want to take his services elsewhere. We’re all assuming he’s clamoring to resign, waiting at the heel for the Davids to bless the ill fated Croatian with their holy touch. Who knows what’s really going on behind the scenes, we can only speculate.

The problem is, sometimes the people actually involved in these dealings can only speculate as well. And rumors, such as Mancini and Jaap Stam waiting in the wings, only emboldens the rifts between management, players, and coach. To be sure, the one thing mostly everyone can see, is the laundry being thrown about in the backyard. Like that one neighbor everybody grumbles about because he won’t join in on the holiday decorations or rake the leaves off his lawn. The jerk. Ruining the whole block!

Stam is the latest horse in the race to loop around the bend. The former Manchester United defender has taken Reading from bottom table dwellers in the Championship to racing towards a playoff position. I suppose anyone who looks like Voldemort and has made the playoffs in the English Championship is now eligible to shoulder one of the biggest clubs in England.

Sure, you could argue that by writing this I’m part of the problem. Addressing the issue does bring it further into the light, however, I’m the good citizen who is here to point out it’s all garbage. I believe Slaven Bilic is the man for this team moving forward, and I have a strong feeling the board know it too.