WEST HAM?셎 brave new dawn is in danger of falling apart after the worst top-flight start in the club?셲 history.
The move to the London Stadium has affected players and fans while Slaven Bilic?셲 men seem to have lost faith in each other ??if not the혻 manager ??with Sunday?셲 3-0 mauling by Southampton a low point.
SunSport?셲 ANTONY KASTRINAKIS analyses why it is all going wrong??????
ARE THE HAMMERS DOOMED ALREADY?
SLAVEN BILIC sensed trouble lay ahead before a ball had even been kicked this season.
Behind the scenes he was desperate to shut down all talk of혻 a top-four push.
The Croatian also dreaded all the hype swirling around the new stadium.
He knew bedding in so many new faces with several key players from last season would be difficult.
But he did not expect to lose혻 짙20.5million club-record buy Andre Ayew to injury in his first match.
And they sorely miss Andy Carroll, a target man that puts the fear of God into the opposition?셲 back-line.
Without Carroll, Diafra Sakho or even Ayew it falls on new boy Simone Zaza, who has so far flopped as West Ham look for a new way of imposing themselves on games.
But혻 it is only September and the Italian international?셲 impact will be better judged next혻 March.
With Ayew also crocked, Bilic lacks pace and physical prowess up top.
Ashley Fletcher is still a kid so the onus has fallen on Zaza, who clearly needs time to adapt.
WHAT?셎 WRONG WITH DIMITRI PAYET?
PAYET was West Ham?셲 inspiration last season, but he혻 has failed to deliver ??apart from that ?쁒abona??cross against Watford.
The Frenchman?셲 stats are a mixed bag. But he has only made three starts this season as opposed to last term혻 when he started all of the first six matches.
At this stage 12 months ago he had three Prem혻 goals but has none this season. Payet has made one more assist so far but his shot accuracy has plummeted from having 55 per cent on target at the start of last season to just 29 per cent this term.
He is also tackling less and혻 covering less ground per game than this time last year???????뎥hough his passing has improved.
HAS PAYET HAD HIS HEAD TURNED?
THERE was certainly talk of a move to one of Europe?셲 elite clubs after a sparkling Euro 2016 campaign.
Sadly for West Ham, that form has not continued into the new season.
After a sub cameo in the curtain-raiser against Chelsea he missed the win against Bournemouth and defeat at Manchester City through injury.
And without Carroll, Sakho or Ayew to feed ??and with Zaza struggling to settle ??who is there to hit up front?
NO BALANCE IN혻 THE MIDDLE
WHEN Payet and Manuel Lanzini lose possession they are not particularly keen to put in the hard yards to win the ball back.
Michail Antonio is also far happier running forward than sprinting back having shown last term that he is not a natural defender.
Add in the fact Mark Noble is way off the form he demonstrated all last term while Cheikhou Kouyate continues to blow hot and cold and you have a recipe for tough times.
The way Southampton breezed through the midfield line was a clear warning West Ham lack the legs to compete with all-action runners.
Maybe it?셲 time for Bilic to make a change in the middle?
WHAT?셎 WRONG WITH THE DEFENCE?
THE lack of spark up front is piling pressure on the defenders who know any goal conceded could be fatal.
Angelo Ogbonna is playing like a man still distracted by Chelsea?셲 late summer bid for him, while the revolving cast list on the flanks has been aggravated by the key absence of left-back Aaron Cresswell.
The mix-up between James Collins and Adrian in the 4-2 collapse against Watford sparked the freefall that continued at West Brom, where the Hammers had 70 PER CENT possession but lost 4-2 again.
Injuries have seen Bilic use five different full-backs in six games, without using the same combination twice in a row. He appears not to trust Sam Byram and has realised Antonio is a midfielder, while the injury to left-back Arthur Masuaku saw Alvaro Arbeloa forced into service on his ?쐗rong??side against the Saints.
NEW SIGNINGS LOOK BANG AVERAGE
WEST HAM?셎 top brass privately admit the new signings have so far underperformed.
Gokhan Tore, Havard Nordtveit, Zaza and Sofiane Feghouli are in for some flak although the blame-game helps no one.
Fingers can certainly be pointed at old-timers too for a series of혻 collective and individual blunders.
It is clear West Ham must start climbing the table???????뎢uickly.
IS IT A LACK OF ATMOSPHERE AT THE NEW STADIUM?
CAPTAIN Noble admits adapting to the London Stadium is proving a challenge.
Angry clashes among home fans over standing혻 plus poor displays on the pitch have contributed to혻 a mood of toxic anxiety.
Noble said: ?쏷he move has been harder than we thought because when you were at Upton Park you sort of craved the games there.
?쏽ou knew it would sort of guarantee 20 points a season.
?쏧t?셲 no excuse, we have to pick up points.??/p>
BILIC LOOKS HAUNTED
THE manager is clearly upset, angry, frustrated and gutted as he knows the side have let down fans.
To an extent, he is a victim of his own success as last season?셲 seventh-place finish raised expectations.
Bilic will be judged on whether he has the nous, clarity and determination to identify the deficiencies and put them right.
More important than the result at home to Middlesbrough on Saturday will be the level of commitment shown by his troops.
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