There’s an interesting conundrum developing at West Ham.
While football is usually referred to as a results business, former manager Sam Allardyce would argue he’s now out of a job despite delivering on all his objectives.
But although he got the results to ensure promotion and survival, it was ultimately the style of football that cost him.
So the challenge for incoming boss Slaven Bilić, and the board, will be how they respond if performances improve, but results are decidedly negative.
The first thing he must do, however, is actually get the current crop of players to adapt to his apparently more aesthetically pleasing style of football.
He has been described as creating an “energetic, collective and fast team, playing with short passes”, which should suit many of the current squad.
If he is to follow the same path he did at Besiktas, then he will look for “two dynamic defensive midfielders, one creative playmaker and wingers able to cut inside”.
In Cheikhou Kouyaté, Mark Noble, Stewart Downing and Enner Valencia, he already has players who could fill those roles.
Add to that either Andy Carroll or Diafra Sakho and he will have a centre forward attuned to encouraging midfielders to attack.
The current squad arguably struggled with the tactics under the previous regime. Players like Downing and Noble looked lost in the second half of the season as the team seemed to drop the more stylish approach seen earlier on.
This bodes well for the incoming manager, who will hope the squad can comfortably, and quickly, adjust to his style given the participation in the Europa League.
With a lot of games to go before the start of the Premier League, fringe players previously ignored will certainly be called upon.
The likes of Matt Jarvis, Diego Poyet, and Elliott Lee may get more of a chance to be involved in a sleeker style of play.
It’s previously been stated that a transition from what is perceived to be a Sam Allardyce brand of football is no easy task.
But Bilić has already identified the areas he feels he needs to recruit to enhance the squad, and it would seem he doesn’t believe wholesale changes are required.
Add to this the likelihood he will be engaged with the academy squads, and his footballing philosophy should quickly filter through the club.
Former graduates Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard have praised the influence of Bilic when he was a player at the club, and if he is building for the future, there should also be a batch of young players who will easily adapt to the first team under his management.
If he can gel the team to deliver an attractive brand of football alongside the results, it will prove the choice for change was a no-brainer.
