Former Hammers boss Slaven Bilic is one of the game’s genuine nice guys but he has expressed his fury at what appears to be the sale of a West Brom player behind his back.
Emotional Slav claims he was told defender Ahmed Hegazi would stay but instead has now moved to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad on loan but will sign permanently at the end of the season.
Bilic said the Egypt central defender had been part of his plans for last night’s game at Brighton and told BBC Sport “He has experience. He is a top professional.
“I wanted him to stay and he wanted to stay and then something happened and then he is off although I had assurances from the club that he would stay.
“That happened yesterday. Of course I am not pleased. I am really disappointed because we need players. There is of course the economic side but we are a football club.”
Hegazi made 104 appearances for West Brom and started 14 games last season as they won promotion to the Premier League from the Championship.
ClaretandHugh: That’s an insult to a manager and Super Slav still holds a special place in the hearts of many Hammers fans. For a manager to suffer such behaviour is dreadful and of those who deserve it less is Slav who is as honest and open as the day is long. In days when managers often gild the lily ( to put it politely) he remains as straightforward and truthful as the day is long as witnessed in his words to the BBC. It would have been easy to say nothing but that’s not Slav’s way. He made his feelings very clear on behalf of himself and no doubt the fans. It also begs the question as to the type of club that former Hammers academy product Grady Diangana has joined. He and the rest of the squad must be wondering how their boss could have been undermined as badly as this which makes his job infinitely harder. It’s a real stab in the back.
Isn’t that why Curbishley walked from West Ham?
Remember we sold a couple and he said no thanks.
I’m sure he’s used to being stabbed in the back. GSB threw him under a bus several times before putting him out of his misery .
No different to our owners selling Diangana really is it. Except in our case it was Mark Noble and Jack Wilshere that expressed their disappointment and not the manager. And we’ve seen what’s happened to Noble and Wilshere since then.
Are you seriously suggesting this pair have been punished for speaking out? Nothing to do with age, pace, ability or other football related reasons?
I love Slav but I can see what’s really going on here is he’s realised he’s heading for nothing but relegation with West Brom this season because he hasn’t got the players and now he’s looking for the exit door. He’s getting his excuses in early. I can see him either getting sacked or walking before we’re half way through the season. Unless the West Brom owners buy him some players in the January window.
Well, it puts G&S in perspective. Also, ManU owners siphoned off £120 000 000 for their Tampa Bay Bottom Feeders.
Slav was always my favourite coach if only was supported money wise like all top coaches in buying quality players not the cheapest ones as was given then sacked as he couldn’t find the right formation with what he had hence playing Antonio at right back for a start . Any coach and slav is a top guy and coach with the right players as he showed when international one but give klopp special one or even pepp the funds given to slav and see if they are so much better at cheap buys ? Love pep too mind and let’s be honest even Moyes has to put up with cheap buys like the relegated Dawson who isn’t the answer . Glad his body is now repaired and he will rise again even if his relegated or walks away from boards who only think of saving money not improving their teams and getting the finished article to challenge in the premiership. At least THIS crazy year is seeing no one club better than the rest
This situation has many angle’s. Firstly Slav pursued Grady relentlessly and eventually got his way (assisted by GSB)….. So something similar has happened to him now, well that’s football.
Whilst Slav was at West Ham he (being an easy going guy) allowed GSB to get away with loads of nonsense with him which undermined his position as manager on many occassions (a position which he should have consolidated when he was in a position of strength). Seems like this has also happened at West Brom.
Then there is the playing style that he favours, more of the “we’ll try to score more than you do!” We still remember that? Obviously it goes down well with most of us because it is the West Ham way in its purest form, but if we’re honest, you need to be either a Man City or a Liverpool to get away with that these days.
I’d like to see him do well, but it’s looking like a repeat of when he was here at West Ham…..without Payet!
Payet fun and games finished off Slav at our club. Lost the dressing room when Board bribed Payet £1million to stay. Suspect Slav asked for that to happen and we all know how that turned out!
I have my own theory on Slav (which may not be true at all). He is a very good tactician and can spot a good player (Lanzini for example) however he doesn’t make the players work hard enough in training (Zaza sort of said as much) – hence he was a brilliant manager for Croatia (since the players were in top shape from tehir clubs) and did well for us first season (as the players were still in top shape following the BFS regime) but then it went downhill – so perhaps that is happening at WBA – sure he could have had more support here (in particular in buying the Portuguese defensive midfielder Carvalho) and yes what WBA have done to him is wrong but he does seem particularly vulnerable to “second season syndrome”