LONDON: West Ham sacked manager Slaven Bilic on Monday after a poor run of results that have left the club languishing in the Premier League’s relegation zone.
The club announced the departure of the Croatian, appointed in June 2015, following a chastening 4-1 loss to Liverpool at the London Stadium on Saturday that leaves them 18th in the table and facing a fight for survival.
Bilic, who also played for West Ham, is the fourth Premier League managerial casualty of the season following the departures of Crystal Palace boss Frank de Boer, Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare and Everton’s Ronald Koeman.
“West Ham United can confirm that Slaven Bilic has today left his position with the club,” the Hammers said in a statement on their website.
The club hierarchy “believe a change is now necessary in order for the club to move forward positively and in line with their ambition,” the statement added.
West Ham said an announcement on a new manager is due to be made over the coming days, with former Everton and Manchester United boss David Moyes widely expected to replace Bilic at the London Stadium.
Bilic’s assistants Nikola Jurcevic, Edin Terzic, Julian Dicks and Miljenko Rak have also left the club with immediate effect.
Co-chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan said the decision to axe Bilic had been made with “heavy hearts.”
The pair praised Bilic for his role in the move from Upton Park to the former Olympic Stadium, particularly the concluding win over Manchester United in the final home game of the 2015-16 campaign, which helped to earn a seventh-placed finish in his first season.
“During the summer, the board invested heavily signing the players Slaven believed would complete the squad he needed to push the club back toward the level we had reached in his first season, and we believe we have the players capable of doing that,” they said in a statement posted on whufc.com.
“Sadly, performances and results have not been of the expected standard and, in recent weeks, we have not seen enough indication of the required improvement to give us the encouragement that things would change and we would meet our Premier League aspirations this season.”
“We see this as an exciting opportunity to appoint a quality manager to the position to inject fresh ideas, organization and enthusiasm into a very talented squad” they added.
Speaking after the chastening defeat at the hands of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool on Saturday, Bilic admitted he did not know if he would be given time to turn things around.
“Of course I believe in myself,” he said. “I definitely don’t feel a broken man. I’m very strong. I believe in my dedication and my previous work. I know my value.
“On the other hand the situation for West Ham is not good. The club is above every individual and that includes me. Are we playing well? No, we are not. It’s me that has to take responsibility.”
West Ham have just two wins from 11 Premier League games, leaving them languishing above just bottom club Crystal Palace and Swansea.
The only bright spot in recent weeks was a notable victory against Tottenham at Wembley, when they came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2.
In his first season in charge, 2015-16, Bilic secured an impressive seventh-placed finish for West Ham, while last season they ended up in 11th spot.
West Ham sack manager Slaven Bilic
West Ham sack manager Slaven Bilic
Dubai Basketball edge Milan to secure EuroLeague victory
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball strengthened their home-court reputation with a 99-92 win over EA7 Emporio Armani Milan in Round 18 of the EuroLeague at Coca-Cola Arena on Tuesday, cheered on by more than 5,000 fans.
The hosts made a fast start and immediately imposed themselves at both ends of the floor. Canadian center Mfiondu Kabengele and Serbian big man Filip Petrusev controlled the paint early, creating close-range scoring opportunities and forcing Milan into defensive adjustments. With McKinley Wright IV and Dwayne Bacon adding pace and penetration, Dubai surged into a double-digit lead and dictated the tempo of the opening quarter.
Milan struggled to settle and spent much of the first period on the back foot, as Dubai’s advantage stretched to 15 points. Although the visitors steadied themselves as the quarter progressed, the early deficit proved costly.
Dubai head coach Jurica Golemac praised the impact of the home crowd after the game, saying: “Congratulations to the fans. We were missing them for sure in the last home game, and they helped us a lot. In the first quarter, we played one of our best quarters this season. The next game is at home in three days, so there is no time to rest too much. We need to prepare for that game first. We are not thinking three games ahead — we prepare for every game and try to win every game.”
Milan showed improved rhythm in the second quarter, but Dubai responded before the break. Bacon punished defensive lapses from beyond the arc, while Kabengele finished strongly inside to help the hosts take a seven-point lead into halftime.
The final period was defined by composure rather than flair. Milan threatened to draw level on several occasions, but missed free throws and execution errors halted their momentum. Bacon sealed the outcome from the free-throw line in the final two minutes, pushing Dubai back into a double-digit advantage and closing out the contest.
Bacon led all scorers with 25 points, while Wright recorded 19 points and nine assists. Kabengele added 17 points, and Petrusev contributed 13 points and seven rebounds. For Milan, Guduric topped the scoring with 11 points, alongside seven rebounds and seven assists.
Dubai Basketball now turn their attention to the ABA League, where they remain unbeaten. The team return to Coca-Cola Arena to face Slovenia’s KRKA in Round 12 of the competition.
