WE DON'T WANT TO FEEL LIKE THIS AGAIN Bilic's best hangover cure will be a promotion party
SLAVEN BILIC wants a champagne end-of-season celebration to cure Saturday morning’s horrific promotion hangover.
The West Brom manager, above, hopes his players party into the night tonight clutching their ticket back into the big time.
The Baggies have been in the top two nearly all season but defeat by Huddersfield on Friday night suddenly handed Brentford the chance to nick second spot.
Bilic admits his men felt dreadful until struggling Stoke beat Brentford on Saturday to hand the initiative back. Victory over QPR tonight will seal promotion for West Brom.
Bilic said: “It’s not a case of have we learnt our lesson but Friday night and Saturday morning... we don’t want to feel like that again.
“For most of the season we have been top two and there’s a reason for that. It’s because we are good.
“Friday night we felt terrible, for the first time it could be out of our hands.
“Now we’re 90 minutes from the thing we have been living for the whole season.
Now we have one game – one to do it.
“Forget Friday. It’s Wednesday night, at home, our own turf. Everything is there. Let’s finish the job.
“We’ve been doing great all season. We should be proud of what we have done so far. Now is the time to finish it off.”
Then Bilic slammed his fist on to his desk to underline his point.
He added: “QPR are a good team, young and enthusiastic. There’s no big pressure on them. But our quality in 45 games gives me – and us – the belief that we are going to do it.
“There are no ‘ifs’ or ‘buts’. We’ve just got to get across the line.We’ve not been given anything; we deserve it.
“It’s tough to win games when you have to because the prize is so great. It’s not a prize like where, for example, all you get is a round of applause at the end.
“It’s huge and we’re 90 minutes from it.” Bilic admits the Huddersfield defeat followed by Brentford failing to cash in – all within 24 hours – put him and his men through the grinder.
He said: “It was a rollercoaster but the main thing was it had a good ending.
“We have a great opportunity. We are ready to cross that line. It’s simple. Are we good? Yes. Are we ready? Yes.”