West Ham United and the Croatian parted ways 12 days ago.
When writing her regular column for the Sun, Hammers vice-chairman Karren Brady shared what both she and the club’s owners expected of Slaven Bilic, when they appointed the Croatian as manager in June 2015.
Bilic, popular as he was amongst the fans in east London, seemingly ran out of ideas from both a tactical and team selection perspective, and his time as West Ham boss was cut short just under two weeks ago.
The Hammers replaced the 49-year-old with David Moyes – a decision that has not gone down well amongst the West Ham fans, following the Scot’s recent struggles in charge of Sunderland, Real Sociedad and Manchester United.
Click HERE to read: Aston Villa ace makes bold claim about West Ham stadium
Surely Moyes will not bring an attractive brand of football to the club, but the Hammers owners will be hoping that he does manage to at least stabilise them, and guide them to safety.
And when writing her column for the Sun, Brady explained how she, along with David Gold and David Sullivan, expected Bilic to achieve far more than just mediocrity when they appointed him two-and-a-half years ago:
“We at West Ham thought Slaven Bilic, experienced as Croatia manager for six years, might be the young general to lead our troops to the top of the hill, or at least close to it. Bilic is highly intelligent and an admirable coach but we are still just above the bottom of the hill and he is no longer with us.”
The problem with that theory is that the club failed to substantially back their manager in the transfer market, always choosing the cheaper, less-exciting option when it came down to it.
To succeed in the Premier League nowadays you need to spend serious cash, not just take a punt on a young and upcoming manager, and expect instant success.
For now though, the east London outfit will have to make do with Moyes, and next up for the 54-year-old and co is a trip to Vicarage Road to take on Watford, and a win will be of paramount importance, if he is to get the fans onside immediately.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
