The team went to Romford dogs. Bilic flew to New York to see Guns N’ Roses
West Ham’s new manager will be anything but dull...
WEST HAM entrusted their future to a figure from the past yesterday when they appointed Slaven Bilic as their new manager.
The 46-year-old Croat, a Hammers defender from 1996-97, agreed a three-year deal to take over from Sam Allardyce, who left the club by mutual consent last month.
Bilic will take charge for the club’s final season at Upton Park before they begin a new era at the Olympic Stadium next year.
His main strength as a coach is man management — treating the players as friends while retaining their respect.
Nothing exemplifies this more than the time he gave his Croatia Under 21 team the afternoon off during a tour of Sweden. Bilic saw his best player, Luka Modric, loitering with friend Vedran Corluka by the team coach rather than heading into town for coffee or to chat up the local girls. Bilic discovered the teenagers had no money and, without hesitation, the manager dipped into his own pocket and sent them on their way.
Modric and Corluka never forgot it and repaid Bilic many times with outstanding performances, notably when the senior Croatia team beat England at Wembley and reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2008.
Bilic’s philosophy is that players given confidence off the pitch will ultimately take responsibility in big matches. Modric, transformed from an introverted child refugee into a self-assured superstar, is a good example of how Bilic can help.
‘I told Luka there were betterknown midfield players but for me he was the best,’ recalled Bilic.
West Ham fans will hope that ability to encourage will help players who stumbled badly under Allardyce last season.
‘ If you can give players composure but without losing the passion and positive craziness, that is impressive,’ said Bilic. ‘If you put a wild horse in the movies, you usually kill some of the wildness. To be organised without killing the passion or spirit — that is the trick.’
As a player, Bilic was never one-dimensional. He played in a rock band and filled his time when in hotel rooms on away trips by playing guitar. He also studied to be a lawyer in case the football did not work out and can speak several languages.
After the break- up of Yugoslavia and birth of Croatia, Bilic went first to Germany but fell in love the moment he arrived at West Ham in 1996 (right). He stayed only 15 months but his influence on the club was greater than that short period would suggest.
He mentored the young Rio Ferdinand, a fellow centre half, and the other players admired his individuality. While they went dogracing at Romford, he flew to New York for one night to see a Guns N’ Roses gig. He enjoyed a crafty cigarette. He still does. His manager at Upton Park, Harry Redknapp, also knew how to get the best from players. ‘Harry liked to take risks, to try to give talented players their freedom,’ said Bilic later. ‘I had some great arguments with Harry but once I became a manager, I realised just how good he was at his job.’ Bilic’s move to Everton in 1997 did not work out. He struggled with persistent injuries and found the drinking culture under manager Howard Kendall difficult to deal with. After one team- bonding trip, Bilic had to hide with Kendall and the other players on the team coach with the lights turned out.
The plan was to drive into the Bellefield training ground but once Kendall realised autograph hunters were waiting, he ordered the coach to park round the corner and imposed a blackout because it was obvious they were the worse for wear.
Bilic was one of the few who had not been drinking and argued with his manager to let him out.
Everton just avoided relegation and Bilic’s play-acting at the 1998 World Cup saw France’s Laurent Blanc sent off and miss the final. It was not Bilic’s finest hour. He retired as a player aged 32 in 2001.
As a manager, his people skills blossomed. London tourists were astonished to see Croatia players shoppingh i on th the d day off th theiri bi big match at Wembley in 2007 while the England players were trapped in their hotel. Croatia won 3-2.
Bilic stayed in charge of the Croatia team for four more years before going back to club football as Lokomotiv Moscow coach.
He followed that with two seasons in Turkey with Besiktas.
The buzz of London and English football partly explains why the West Ham job appealed.
Besiktas faced Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool in European competition last season, stirring Bilic’s thoughts about a return to the Premier League.
With a six-month- old daughter with his new partner, life is not going to be dull from now on, either for Bilic or West Ham fans.
‘Be organised but don’t kill the passion’