The season is going to start really early for the incoming manager of West Ham United, the club have just been declared top of the fair play league in England, and as such have obtained entry for a Europa League qualifying place along with Liverpool, Tottenham and either Aston Villa or Southampton. As fair play qualifiers Hammers will have to play their first match on July 2nd, in order to enter the competition 'proper' they will have to play a further three matches. A tall order for a team that is currently without a manager following Sam 'Arraldite's' departure, but on the positive front, following a bizarre accidental meeting courtesy of Chelsea fans occupying the Fulham Road and it's surrounding area for their Barclays Premier League title celebration, a rather worse for wear Jose Mourinho endorsed Slaven Bilic's credentials as a manager.
"Slaven is a good man, a strong man, but intelligent. He knows how to see a game, he is, how do you say? not a Luddite, unlike others, I think you know who I am talking about. He will be a breath of fresh air, and at last there will be someone able to take the weight off doing vaguely interesting and witty press conferences from my shoulders!"
And with that, the great one collapsed in a heap before being 'shoed in', by a rather large man with dark glasses, to a waiting limousine driven by an even larger man with dark glasses!
Bilic's odds were 1-4 on, what price now? -Ed
