The sense of momentum and pride in playing for Croatia was also brilliantly harnessed, as was the support of a fervent crowd. Something similar could be achieved at West Ham, where Bilic is assured of a honeymoon period when he begins with Europa League qualifiers next month. The West Ham fans never took to Allardyce and, beyond delivering promotions and an extremely sound body of results, there was no particular effort from his side to appease supporters still longing for a certain philosophy from their manager.