Hammers sack Bilic, Moyes expected to replace him

LONDON: West Ham sacked manager Slaven Bilic after a poor run of results that have left the club languishing in the English 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 can confirm that Slaven Bilic has today left his position with the club,” the Hammers said in a statement on their website yesterday.

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.

Bilic’s assistants Nikola Jurcevic, Edin Terzic, Julian Dicks and Miljenko Rak have also left.

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.

West Ham have just two wins from 11 games, leaving them languishing above just bottom club Crystal Palace and Swansea. — AFP