Slaven Bilic sacked: The Croatian's managerial timeline at The Hawthorns
We look back at Slaven Bilic's spell at West Brom after the club decided to sack the manger.
With Albion 19th in the Premier League table, the club have decided to part ways with the Croatian, just months after he guided the club to promotion from the Championship.
Here, we look back at some of the biggest moments in Bilic's spell at The Hawthorns.
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Slaven Bilic appointed by West Brom
Following the club's failure to earn promotion the previous season, Albion made the statement hiring of Bilic in June 2019.
Joining on a two-year-deal, replacing Jimmy Shan, Bilic was tasked with getting the club back in the top flight within that spell.
"I’m delighted with this opportunity of course." he said upon joining.
"We want to improve, we want to improve on the pitch and Albion have convinced me they want to return to the Premier League. Albion have a short-term project and a long project and they do not clash.
"They wanted me to lead them, to help improve them. They made it clear they wanted me to be the one to lead them in this and I didn’t think twice once they had spoken to me."
Winning start at Forest
Things got off to the best possible start for Bilic, with Albion claiming an opening day 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest in the Championship.
Kyle Edwards and Matt Phillips got the goals to get the Baggies going, in what proved to be a stunning early run under Bilic.
The unbeaten run
In stark contrast to this season, Bilic got Albion winning numerous games early on in the Championship, with the Baggies going unbeaten in their first nine games of the season.
Albion amassed 19 points before heading to Elland Road, where the stunning run was ended - albeit somewhat harshly, given the side's fantastic second half showing.
Baggies hit five at The Hawthorns
Fast forward to December, and Bilic's Baggies put in arguably the performance of the season against Swansea, thrashing the Welsh side 5-1 at The Hawthorns.
Matheus Pereira put in a glittering display, scoring one, and assisting three other goals as the Baggies climbed to top spot in the Championship, simultaneously opening a double digit gap to third place.
Manic Blues derby
A matter of days later, Albion fans travelled to St Andrew's for what proved to be a derby day to remember under Bilic.
He masterminded a brilliant come-from-behind victory in the Second City, bringing on Charlie Austin, who turned the game on it's head with two goals in eight minutes to earn Albion three points on hostile turf.
"It was a proper derby, lots of effort, lots of tackles, and we had a bit more quality. But we conceded from two set-pieces. We can't be happy with that." Bilic said of the game.
"In derbies, it can be hard to stay calm, but we did that and it comes from the belief and confidence we have got from recent games."
Albion fans were beginning to believe.
FA Cup upset
Beating Championship opponents not enough? How about going to West Ham and getting a deserved win?
That's just what Bilic did on his return to his former club in the FA Cup.
Conor Townsend scored the only goal of the game at the London Stadium, but it was a performance which rubber stamped the Baggies' promotion credentials under the Croat.
Big wins look set to see Albion go up
Despite a blip over the festive period which seeped deep into January, Bilic helped guide Albion back to winning ways in style through February.
Notable wins over Millwall (in treacherous conditions), Reading, Bristol City and Preston got the Baggies looking comfortable atop the table.
The gap to third was once again opened to ten points, with the final straight in sight.
Lockdown threatens season
Bilic, and Albion were tasked with guiding the club through an unprecedented period without football during the opening months of the coronavirus pandemic.
Albion, like their Championship counterparts, went more than three months without a competitive fixture - and the side showed rust on their return.
A drab 0-0 draw with Blues signalled their return to action, before defeat to a surging Brentford side got nerves rattled amongst fans.
Terrible day against the Terriers
Albion did manage to settle nerved somewhat following wins over Sheffield Wednesday, Hull and Derby, but two successive draws were then followed up by the first major low under Bilic.
Travelling to struggling Huddersfield Town, Albion were beaten 2-1 - opening the door for Brentford to climb into the automatic promotion spots, which had been home to Albion for so long.
Leeds were all but confirmed as Champions, but for Albion it looked as though the play-offs could be on the cards. Bilic even admitted as much after the whistle, with Brentford's run seemingly unstoppable.
Baggies secure promotion
Albion were granted an unlikely reprieve by Stoke City, who managed to beat Brentford to ensure Albion still had their fate in their own hands on the final day of the season.
But it was not to be a jaunt to promotion for Bilic, who saw his side pegged back by mid-table QPR on the final day.
Albion needed to match Brentford's result to secure promotion, and with the Bees facing relegation-threatened Barnsley, it was thought only a win would do for Albion.
But they lost 2-1 at home, and by virtue of a 2-2 draw Albion and Bilic went up in the automatic spots.
"[Promotion] is at the top [of my achievements]. You don't know how exhausting it was this season. You can't imagine how proud and happy I am." Bilic said during the celebrations.
"I managed my country for six years and I said no matter which club I manage nothing will compare when you are manager of your national team. I can't say it's the same but I feel as proud as I felt then.
"We've got work to do but I haven't thought about it because of this crazy situation. We did a bit of work during the lockdown. Now, not today, not tomorrow or the day after and we'll see next week."
Summer transfer struggles
Following promotion, Bilic and Albion were tasked with preparing the team for an assault on the top flight, a full year ahead of schedule.
It was quickly apparent that Albion would not have the financial clout of some other promoted clubs in recent years - meaning Luke Dowling was forced to be creative when structuring deals.
The club did manage to bring in Grady Diangana and prime target Karlan Grant, whilst Filip Krovinovic also returned on-loan.
Back in the big time, with a bump
Albion returned to the top flight in September, but there was no opening day joy for Bilic or the Baggies.
They were beaten soundly 3-0 by Leicester City, with Jamie Vardy twice netting from the spot as Albion fell at the first hurdle.
Hegazi sale irks Bilic
Whilst incoming deals were proving somewhat tricky to complete, one major issue that frustrated Bilic was the sale of Ahmed Hegazi.
The club moved to get rid of the Egyptian defender, with Bilic publicly announcing his disappointment in the decision.
“It definitely wasn’t my decision and it wasn’t a football decision,” Bilic said when asked about Hegazi’s departure.
“I’m very disappointed. We are a team that needs all our good players, he is a player that has knowhow in the Premier League.
“He has vast experience, he’s an international player, he is a great professional and he played last week against Burnley and the whole week he was training with us when we were doing shape.
West Brom do battle with the big boys
Albion's first point in the top flight came against one of the toughest opponents in the league.
Bilic set-up his side brilliantly to pounce on Chelsea at The Hawthorns, claiming a 3-0 lead over Frank Lampard's side after just 27 minutes of action.
The Baggies looked destined for a statement win, but goals from Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham (in added time) ensured the points were shared.
It showed that the side were capable of battling in the top flight, although realistically the manner of the draw somewhat dented any celebration of the point.
The first PL win
It wasn't until November until Albion registered their first win of the top flight campaign, up against bottom-placed Sheffield United.
The side had come close to success against the likes of Burnley, Brighton and even Manchester United, but Conor Gallagher's goal proved enough for Albion against the Blades.
The visitors did have a number of chances to level, but spurned them all as Slaven Bilic finally earned his first top flight win with the club.
City draw overshadowed
Following defeats to Crystal Palace and Newcastle, Albion faced a daunting trip to Manchester City with Bilic's future in question.
However, despite going a goal down to the Cityzens via Ilkay Gundogan's well worked strike, the Baggies held firm and scored an unlikely equaliser via Semi Ajayi's deflected strike.
The side were clearly playing for the manager, with the players putting in brilliant performances across the pitch to keep City out to earn a hard-fought 1-1 draw.
The result though was quickly overshadowed by reports from national radio stations and newspapers, claiming that Bilic would be sacked within 24 hours.
Bilic sacked
Reports of Bilic's sacking were confirmed the day following their draw, with Albion confirming the decision online.
He left the club having managed just a single top flight win with Albion, despite securing promotion to the Premier League just several months before.
