Some interesting snippets about Slaven Bilic in the papers today. Like the fact he said he wanted Besiktas to be "as exciting as Iron Maiden" and when at West Ham, rather than visit Romford dog track, he preferred to fly to America to see Guns 'N' Roses. He also liked to hang out with the Besiktas Ultras and was carried shoulder high to the airport by them (my fellow season ticket holder Fraser did offer to personally carry Big Sam to London airport, though possibly not for the same reasons). Not sure who our Ultras are, maybe the Bobby Moore Stand, but Bilic knows how to keep the fan base happy and is unlikely to cup his ear to the crowd.
The Independent has a good summary of his time at Besiktas and points out that although he finished third in his two seasons, they looked like winning the league for a long period before blowing it at the end, possibly through fatigue. He also made a point of promoting young Turkish players, which would go down well at Upton Park.
So clearly Bilic has great charisma and beats Big Sam on connecting with the fans. Emotionally he seems a good fit, though applying cold logic it still has to be said that the board have failed to provide a clear upgrade on Allardyce, despite offering a salary of £3m a year. Benitez, Klopp, Ancelotti and Emery have trophies and experience and would have been a visible improvement. Whereas Bilic has only three years' experience of club management and has never won a trophy.
Although at 46 Slaven should be coming into his peak years and we should't discount his fine record as Croatia coach. He's clearly a good man manager and will not be under huge pressure at West Ham. With a possible five new signings he's been set the task of a top ten finish, which is hopefully achievable. It could be an interesting ride and if nothing else Slaven might be able to provide some new cds for our half-time entertainment.
4 comments:
As exciting as Iron Maiden! ... under Allardyce they were as dull as Radiohead...
I'm worried. Bilic has so little experience at the top level. Also, from all the reports he seems to have been the last choice for the WHU Board which really makes me wonder how the job was pitched to the 5 or 6 managers approached before they eventually opened the door to Bilic. As someone in the Guardian put it with Sam's departure: "be careful what you wish for"...
The plus with Bilic is that he will have the whole crowd on his side, though as you say he seems to have been about sixth choice. We have to hope his Croatia record reflects his ability rather than his flop in Russia - but a boss with PL experience would have been better, agreed, and clearly whatever master plan the board had (Benitez?) didn't come off. Still, he's made al the right noises so far and will now have Obiang to boost the squad.
Like Radiohead, the second half of the season gave me The Bends...
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