Bilic: Forget Payet, this is new main man for West Ham
By Matt Farr
Manager Slaven Bilic has urged fans to forget about Dimitri Payet, because Andy Carroll is their new star.
Payet’s lack of respect and loyalty for the team ahead of his move to Marseille last month saw him crash down from fan-favourite to pantomime villain.
However, Hammers boss Bilic insists that the form of goalscorer Carroll will make everyone forget about the Frenchman’s betrayal.
The 28-year-old has scored four goals in his last four appearances, helping the east London club to victories over Southampton, Middlesbrough and Crystal Palace.
Carroll now has six goals this season from 16 appearances, and is proving to be an invaluable asset to Bilic and West Ham.
Many Hammers fans are still reeling from the loss of Payet, but the Croatian boss believes they should look to appreciate the “brilliant” Carroll instead.
He told the Daily Star: “He is brilliant at everything – brilliant on the pitch, brilliant off the pitch and brilliant in the dressing room.
“Don’t get me wrong, we lost a great player in Payet but these things happen in football and the team reacted in the best possible way.
“We have a great team spirit now, we have a really good team work rate and atmosphere in the camp.”
Since Payet was dropped from the first team at the Olympic Stadium, West Ham have won three of their four games, scoring three goals in each of those wins.
They endured a minor scare when they were torn apart by Manchester City on February 1, but responded magnificently to defeat Southampton at St. Mary’s on Saturday.
West Ham are now up to ninth in the Premier League, 11 points clear of the relegation zone.
In other West Ham news, David Gold sent a Twitter message to Pedro Obiang after reaching this landmark.
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