Slaven Bilic was dismissed as West Brom head coach on Wednesday with club 19th in Premier League; the former West Ham boss took charge at The Hawthorns in 2019 and led the Baggies to promotion at first time of asking; Bilic has since been replaced by Sam Allardyce
Thursday 17 December 2020 11:36, UK
Slaven Bilic has spoken for the first time since being sacked as West Brom head coach and looked back fondly on what he described as the honour of managing the club.
Bilic departed the Hawthorns on Wednesday after 18 months in charge and left West Brom 19th in the Premier League.
The Croatian, who replaced Darren Moore in 2019 and orchestrated West Brom's automatic promotion back to the top flight, looked back fondly on his time at the club.
"I am hugely disappointed to have left West Bromwich Albion. I am honoured to have managed this unique football club with full commitment and integrity," Bilic said in a statement.
"I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to all the players, my hard-working coaching team and our dedicated staff.
"I am incredibly proud that we secured automatic promotion from the Championship in our first season.
"It was a real shame to not have our loyal supporters there with us during that moment and upon our return to the Premier League.
"In what has been a really difficult year for so many, those special fans have stood alongside us throughout it all. My staff and I are grateful for having had the privilege to serve them."
West Brom have won just one Premier League game this campaign but the majority of the club's summer signings - including Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira - were players on loan at the club last season.
A proportion of the club's budget went on the arrival of Karlan Grant from Huddersfield and Bilic was removed from his post despite a 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Tuesday.
Bilic, who has since been replaced by Sam Allardyce, expressed regret the team were not able to build on the achievement of promotion and that he has been denied the opportunity to say goodbye to the fans in person.
"They would have enjoyed some of our excellent performances where the team showed how much they wanted us to succeed," Bilic added.
"Ultimately, I am sad that it hasn't worked out in the way we wanted. But I leave with my head held high, along with some wonderful memories that I will always cherish.
"I'm sorry that I cannot say goodbye to you all properly at The Hawthorns. I genuinely wish the club well for the future."
