Slaven Bilic is dreaming of enjoying another ‘special’ afternoon at White Hart Lane on Sunday

Slaven Bilic is dreaming of enjoying another ‘special’ afternoon at White Hart Lane on Sunday.



Bilic made his West Ham United debut as a player in a 1-0 Premier League victory at Tottenham Hotspur back in January 1996.



Nearly two decades on and he takes the Hammers to north London as a manager for the first time, knowing full well that the Claret and Blue Army are desperate to secure the local bragging rights once again.



"It is a special game and it was special when I used to play for West Ham,” said the gaffer, who welcomes Diafra Sakho, Alex Song and Pedro Obiang back from injury this weekend. “My first game was Spurs away and we won 1-0 and Dani the Portuguese player scored!



"It's a special game, yes. It’s a cliche that every game is for three points but there are some games that are more special to the fans and they are derby games, and this one is definitely one of them.



"Some are saying this is the game of the season for West Ham. I wouldn’t say that, but it is a special game and you can that feel around the camp this week and we're looking forward to it, of course. We are waiting for it big time."



Bilic and the Hammers will have to make do without the injured Dimitri Payet at Spurs, with the France star having suffered a high ankle sprain in the 1-1 home draw with Everton prior to the international break.



While the media and some supporters are afraid of what life without Payet will bring, the manager is hoping his squad is strong enough to cater for the playmaker’s absence.



“Well, you don’t have to be the West Ham manager to know he is very important for us,” he continued. “On the one hand, West Ham is not only Dimitri Payet, but he is our best player and the most important player for us, especially when we have the ball.



“His impact, not only on West Ham but on the Premier League, has been huge and he is important for us when it comes to scoring goals, assists and keeping the ball. We are going to miss him, definitely, and it's a big loss for us. It was a simply a very, very bad tackle from the Everton player.



“We are going to miss him, but we are not going to play with ten players. To be honest, it is difficult to replace him because he is irreplaceable. That’s why he is Payet. He is one of those players who makes the team better.



“We are going to see how we're going to look without him. It’s a question mark for me as well. On the other hand, we are not only Payet. We now have a lot of quality players and those who play will have to share that burden, step up and do more for us to ensure we feel his absence less.”

We now have a lot of quality players and those who play will have to share that burden, step up and do more for us to ensure we feel his absence less

The return of Premier League action is the start of a four-month period of almost non-stop football between now and the next international break in March.



With the busy Christmas and New Year period approaching, Bilic says the coming slate of games will decide how successful the Hammers are this season.



"Every part of the season is a key part,” he stated. “This is the Premier League and it's very demanding and you have to be on your toes and concentrated in August, September, December, March, whenever…



“We are in a good position at this time, but it's only a start. It's good to have a good amount of points at this stage and we are confident. Of course, it's now November and December when things can change the other way around, but we are approaching this period with our eyes wide open.



“We know what we have to do on a daily basis and in games to maintain our position and to improve.”

In closing, the manager endorsed the decision to play La Marseillaise – the French national anthem – prior to kick-off on Sunday in tribute to those affected by the recent terror attacks in Paris.



“We have a French player in Payet, of course, and we are all very sad about what happened in Paris,” he confirmed. “We are sorry for all the people who died and for their families. We are proud that before every game the Marseillaise will be played.



“We can show through sport that people are united in the face of this."