Brady breaks silence on Bilic sacking
“WHEN we told Slaven Bilic we didn’t want him to stay as manager of West Ham, it was clear he was not going to argue with the decision.
No one likes to sack anyone. It’s not easy, especially when you genuinely like them, and I take no pleasure from it — but sometimes there is just no alternative. Everyone on the board enjoyed a good relationship with Slaven and supported him at every opportunity.
We spent £100million on players since he joined — and no club outside the top six has spent more.
Every pre-season requirement, every winter training break, every backroom member of staff, the complete refit of the training ground… whatever he wanted, we tried to deliver. He, in turn, was an honest man with integrity and intelligence and was furiously loyal to West Ham. So sacking this thoroughly decent man was one of the hardest things our board felt it had to do in 25 years in football.
I think a huge majority of our supporters agreed with our decision. They, like us, remain as respectful of the 47-year-old Croatian as it is possible to be of a manager whose diminishing success in leading a good squad of players has placed the club in the relegation zone with the season almost a third through. Expectations at the London Stadium are far higher than that. We spent £45m in the summer buying experience in defence and goal threat in attack. Neither manifested itself.
Rather, goals have poured into our own net to the extent that we have the worst record in the league — and we haven’t scored many, either.
It is pure excuse-making for anyone to blame the move to the London Stadium for our failings. The Hammers roar is as alive as ever and the fervour with which our fans blew bubbles after we scored against Liverpool on Sunday was heart-warming.”