Former West Ham boss Slaven Bilic has vowed to impress at West Brom, after saying the end of his time at West Ham was “not good”.
Bilic was sacked by the Hammers in November 2017 after a poor start to the 2017/18 Premier League season, and returned to England last week with West Brom following a spell in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad.
Speaking at his first press conference as Baggies manager on Monday, Bilic reflected on his time at the London Stadium.
“At West Ham, the finish was not good,” the 50-year-old said, as reported by Claret & Hugh. “My time at West Ham wasn’t just the finish. Unfortunately, the finishing day for most coaches is bad.
“My journey from then till here was only positive, and I am only proud of that time. I don’t see it as unfinished business after West Ham.”
OPINION
These are interesting comments from Bilic, as he is clearly admitting that his time at West Ham turned very sour. And it did. The 4-1 defeat to Liverpool was the final nail in the coffin for the manager, who was sacked shortly after that defeat. And it needed to happen. If you look at where West Ham are now, it was definitely the right move to make. It allowed the club to bring in David Moyes, who steadied the ship when it looked as though the club were heading for relegation, before current boss Manuel Pellegrini made the side into a much more competitive one. The Hammers have now begun to look up the table again instead of down it, shown by their 10th-placed finish in the league and their ambition in the transfer market with the signings of Felipe Anderson and Pablo Fornals. As for Bilic himself, the West Brom job is a fantastic opportunity for him to restore his reputation, and there will be plenty of West Ham fans wishing him well in his new challenge.
