West Ham boss Slaven Bilic urges Hammers to ride emotional wave of final Boleyn Ground match against Manchester United
West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has urged his players to ride the wave of emotion during Tuesday’s pivotal Premier League clash against Manchester United – the club’s farewell to the Boleyn Ground.
The showdown with Louis van Gaal’s Champions League-chasing side will mark the Hammers’ final match at Upton Park, which has been their home for 112 years, before a summer move to the Olympic Stadium.
With West Ham requiring a victory to maintain their European ambitions, the momentous nature of the match has been heightened, while maximum points would propel United into the top four at the expense of Manchester City.
“It’s impossible to lose the emotion,” said Bilic. “Let’s say if the game didn’t mean a lot to us or to Manchester United, in the sense of this season, it would be big anyway because it’s the last game at Upton Park.
“But it means a lot to them and to us, both things have clicked, so it’s big – it can’t be bigger. If they beat us they are very close to fourth place and for us, if we want to secure a Europa League slot, we need to beat them. It’s massive.
“So the players would be emotional even if just one of those couple of things were involved. But there’s nothing wrong with being emotional.”
Saturday’s capitulation at home to Swansea effectively ended West Ham’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League and also dented their Europa League aspirations. Southampton’s win at Spurs on Sunday saw the Saints leapfrog Bilic’s side into sixth.
Victory on Tuesday would see the Hammers reclaim sixth position, while seventh place would only seal European football if Manchester United came in the top six and won the FA Cup, although Bilic insists qualification is not essential.
“It’s important to have European football, but it’s not crucial,” he added. “The plan was to be in the top 10. Now we are in a position with a couple of games left to secure European football. It’s going to be hard but we’ll do everything we can.”