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Bilic defends West Ham’s controversial night out

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West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has defended his decision to send the playing squad on a morale-boosting night out together, after allegations in The Daily Mail that some of the players were drunk.

The Hammers have suffered a poor start to the new season, putting pressure on their manager after three points from the team’s first six Premier League games.

West Ham have looked like a fragment of the team that excelled under the Croatian last season, with low confidence an issue that the side seemingly need to overcome.

Bilic authorised a team night out earlier this week, but the ploy appeared to backfire with it was reported that some players including Andy Carroll and Darren Randolph were intoxicated and in McDonald’s at 7am the following morning.

The Hammers boss has admitted that he will look into the accusations but stood by his decision to sanction the team gathering as a way of breeding togetherness.

“The club will be looking into these allegations and will deal with the players as we see fit,” Bilic is quoted as saying by The Daily Mail.

“I told the players to go. I told Mark (Noble) — we had a big meeting.

“We have a few big meetings, of course, in the last three weeks. After the last one, after Southampton (a 3-0 defeat) I told Mark to take the boys out for a meal, to go together.

“It’s definitely good. It was good 50 years ago, it was good 20 years ago, 10 years ago. It was good in any job you do. Again, if it’s between some friends, I’d say normal.”

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