Chairman of West Ham United, David Gold, has been speaking on The West Ham Way podcast to discuss the departure of former manager Slaven Bilic.
The Hammers sacked the Croatian manager back in 2017 following a 4-1 home defeat to Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool and was later replaced by current manager, David Moyes.
Bilic was appointed as the manager of the Hammers in 2015 but lasted just over two years, with the London side flirting dangerously with relegation in the 2017/18 season.
With Moyes at the helm, West Ham were able to transform their season and ended up finishing in 13th place and just two points off a place in the top half of the table.
Speaking on the sacking of the Croatian, Gold had a lot to say on his thoughts about how the situation was handled.
He said: “You know, it was a sad day to lose Slaven. He’s a very nice man. He was very passionate about his football. But I guess with hindsight, I look back and I was constantly, we were constantly thinking, you know, if he can win the next match, it gives him a bit more breathing space.
“And of course, he had the injuries, which were a problem and we’re thinking, well, once our players come back, results would improve and we could not have to sack him.
“With hindsight, I think now, we should have done it earlier. It was a sad day for us, we were hoping desperately the results would improve so that we wouldn’t have to part company.”
“I think the real [issue] that he couldn’t bring himself to deal with was his backroom staff. I can name every one of the current backroom staff. And yet the four main people, or the three main people under Slaven, I couldn’t tell you their names now and they were with us for two and a half years. So that gives you the feeling that, you know, there wasn’t good vibes. I think he was very, very loyal to his people, very, very loyal. And for me, I think he should have changed those. I think that was a problem.”
Does Moyes deserve a new contract?
Yes
No
West Ham have since parted ways with and rehired Moyes and now find themselves in fifth place in the Premier League and battling it out with fourth-placed Chelsea for a spot in next season’s Champions League.
TIF Thoughts on Gold’s comments…
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and, of course, if Gold could have seen where West Ham were after Bilic and where they are now he would have sacked him earlier. Moyes was able to keep the relegation-flirting side which he took over in 2017 afloat in the Premier League and now having been rehired, is challenging for a place in Europe.
With Gold having regrets about previous managers, it will be interesting to see where Moyes’ future lies, with the 57-year-old’s contract at the London Stadium coming to an end this summer.
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