Slaven Bilic has admitted that the sacking of Crystal Palace manager Frank De Boer was on his mind prior to his side’s victory over Huddersfield Town last night, speaking with BBC Sport.
De Boer’s side have failed to register a single point after this season, and subsequently De Boer was dismissed from Selhurst Park after only five games in charge.
With West Ham in a similar position at the foot of the table, rumours had intensified that Slaven Bilic was to be next on the managerial hit-list should his side fail to beat the Terriers at the London Stadium, and following the 2-0 win, Bilic said it was definitely on his mind.
“Was De Boer’s sacking on my mind? It was. I ain’t going to lie,” said Bilic: “But I’m 49, I’ve been in football since I was 18, so I know.
“To be fair, I came into the zone where I didn’t care about that – not in a negative way. I care about the team – but I saw them really focused.”
All rumours of the Croat’s potential departure however soon vanished after the win. Goals from Pedro Obiang and Andre Ayew secured all three points for the Hammers in their first home game of the season, and Bilic says he was delighted with his side’s performance.
“It was a top performance, not in the sense of beautiful football, but in determination and in executing the game plan.”
