I left Upton Park after Sunday’s game against West Brom feeling as if a defeat had been inflicted rather than the 1-1 draw.

It was a game I think every West Ham fan thought we needed to win to halt the slide down the table which had hastened over the last three weeks.

Having beaten Chelsea, games against Watford, Everton, Tottenham and West Brom have yielded just two points which, with Manchester United at Old Trafford next, is a real concern.

The injury to Dimitri Payet hasn’t helped and nor has the team’s inability to keep a clean sheet. The full-backs, Aaron Cresswell and Carl Jenkinson, have been largely atrocious this season. Jenkinson looks a shadow of the player he was last season with his confidence totally drained.

Last season’s Hammer of the Year, Cresswell, has been largely immune from criticism with Jenkinson baring the brunt of it.

But his performances have been extremely below par and if you wanted to know why he hasn’t been picked for the England team, it's because he hasn’t been good enough. Not because Roy Hodgson doesn’t like West Ham players, as per the conspiracy theory.

I believe West Ham have a good team and I'm much happier this season than during the last couple. The approach to the game is refreshing and against Albion, in the first half, the football was excellent and Mauro Zarate's free kick exceptional.

The problem was when West Brom equalised. West Ham seemed to stop. Whilst West Brom played better in the second half, the good things from the first half performance were no longer evident.

Andy Carroll was dropped to the bench for the Baggies game and that really is quite damning on the basis the last three years have been about getting him fit. Yet when he does finally return to fitness he is dropped after three games because he simply isn’t very good.

Don’t get me wrong. I wouldn’t have started him either but the fact that he wasn’t given a starting place is just further evidence he is one of the worst purchases in the history of West Ham..

The main issue Bilic needs to address – other than the clean sheets – is the home form because that has been an issue all season.

I don’t believe the wheels have fallen off, I just think we are levelling out to where we will probably end up finishing.

Don’t forget that 2015 under Sam Allardyce saw just three wins and a poor 12th-place finish. Anything above that will be an improvement and I have seen enough from this Bilic set-up to believe a strong position will be achieved this season.