Seven games in and it looks as though the Hammers are in for a long season.

The weekend’s 1-1 draw at home to Middlesbrough means West Ham have only one point in their last five games and currently lie in 18th place.

It’s a far cry from the West Ham side that finished 7th last year, beating Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur along the way. The downturn in form has also let to punters here in the Transfer Tavern debating if Bilic can arrest the slump.

While injuries to key players like Aaron Cresswell and Andy Carroll may have complicated things, a number of players have been below par for Bilic’s side.

In particular we’ve seen some calamitous defensive displays, with the Hammers keeping only one clean sheet so far, conceding a league high 17 goals in the process.

So who are those players letting West Ham down and causing a stir around the Tavern? We take a look at THREE of them……

SIMONE ZAZA

With injuries to Carroll and new-signing Andre Ayew, the Hammers were desperate to get a striker in before the end of the transfer deadline.

Cue Simone Zaza being signed on loan from Juventus. With the Italian in the lineup, it looked as though West Ham had a focal point and that performances would improve.

Unfortunately for the Hammers, Zaza has not impressed. In almost every game he has played, the loanee has shown a heavy touch and lack of ability to lead the line.

GOKHAN TORE

Another new signing who has yet to impress for the Hammers is Turkish midfielder Gokhan Tore.

Tore played under Bilic at Besiktas, and a number of fans here at the Tavern were excited at what he could produce after being reunited with the Croatian boss.

Unfortunately West Ham fans are now question if the Turk can produce anything, with a series of uninspiring performances and no real contributions to the Hammers attack bar a solitary assist against Bournemouth.

In the game against Middlesbrough, the Turk suffered the indignity of a half-time substitution for Zaza, with the maligned Italian have more of an impact.

MARK NOBLE

While it seems strange there are no defenders on this list considering West Ham have conceded the most goals in the league, the fact of the matter is it’s not the backline who are completely at fault.

The midfield pairing of Noble and Kouyate, who both worked so hard last year, have offered little in the way of defensive protection.

Despite being a local lad and fan favourite, Noble has taken a lot of criticism from Hammers fans and currently seems to be offering less in the team than his Senegalese counterpart and Pedro Obiang, who looks set to take his place.