SLAVEN BILIC warned his West Ham players their dream London Stadium switch could be ’dangerous’.
The Hammers play their first game at the new ground when they face NK Domzale in the second leg of the Europa League qualifier tonight.
Bilic’s men trail 2-1 against the Slovenian minnows and face the prospect of the bubble bursting on their Olympic Park curtain-raiser.
The Croatian says the high stakes mean his side have been given the perfect chance to kick-off life at their new home in style.
But he did have some words of warning for the club, who drew a line under 112 years at Upton Park earlier this year.
He said: “Yes, this is an opportunity for West Ham to establish themselves but this is also dangerous.
“We have experienced some bad examples of stadium moves in the past.
“The 52,000 season tickets sold are not going to get you a throw-in during the game.
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“They won’t get you a corner and they are not going to get you a point. The pitch is the same and you have to prove it. The stadium brings so many advantages and everybody is buzzing but it also has some minuses compared to Upton Park.
“Now it is up to us to use this great situation that we are privileged to be in.
“The message to the players is put on a performance and bring the stadium alive.”
Both Arsenal and Southampton struggled when they moved from their historical homes to brand spanking new stadiums.
It is something Bilic is very conscious of. He said: “I’m aware of that history — some teams don’t struggle but need time to adjust.
How other clubs fared
ARSENAL (Emirates Stadium, Aug 2006)
Villa’s Olof Mellberg scored the first goal before Gilberto Silva saved a point. Arsenal waited to late September for a first win at their new home.
MAN CITY (City of Manchester Stadium, now Etihad, Aug 2003)
City faced Welsh outfit The New Saints in the Uefa Cup. Trevor Sinclair scored the first goal in a 5-0 rout.
HULL CITY (KC Stadium, Dec 2002)
The Tigers celebrated Christmas by moving into their new stadium on Boxing Day with a 2-0 victory over Hartlepool in the then Third Division. Dean Keates scored the first goal.
LEICESTER (Walkers Stadium, now King Power Stadium, Aug 2002)
A near-capacity crowd of 31,022 watched two goals from Brian Deane help Leicester beat Watford 2-0 in the then First Divison.
STOKE (Britannia Stadium, now Bet365 Stadium, Aug 1997)
The Potters drew 1-1 with Rochdale in their first game in the League Cup. Stoke went down from then-Division One in their first season at the Brit.
SWANSEA (The New Stadium, now Liberty Stadium, Aug 2005)
Powerful striker Adebayo Akinfenwa scored on his Swansea debut as they beat Tranmere 1-0 in League One.
“We have to be positive and I’m totally positive, the players are not afraid of it, they like it.
“They liked it from the start, we have moved just ten minutes away, it is still East London.
“It is going to be hard to replace the Boleyn Ground just like it was hard to replace Highbury, or the Dell at Southampton, it is a different kind of stadium.
“There is no reason to approach that issue in a negative way. It is a privilege to play in such a great stadium in front of a big crowd. We are looking forward to it.” But West Ham will save the fanfare for Sunday, when Juventus visit for a prestigious friendly.
Bilic hopes it will help his players to focus on overturning the deficit against Domzale and taking a big step towards the Europa League proper.
He added: “It’s much better before the Juventus game. We had to do it, because of business, media, or whatever.
“Make no mistake, I’m trying to get through to the players and in my head, there is only space for tonight’s game.
“We are looking forward for the stadium. The pitch is good, the people are going to be there.
“It’s a great stage for us, starting against Domzale.
“It is massive. It is a huge step. It is an unbelievable step to go from 35,000 fans to 60,000. I don’t know anybody who has done that.
“But we have done it because of the plan that the board has.
“Last season we played good and started moving but now is only the beginning.”
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