The Athletic’s West Brom reporter Steve Madeley says he does not expect Slaven Bilic to be sacked by the club this summer, even if they do not win promotion to the Premier League.
Brentford’s defeat at Stoke on Saturday afternoon means that the Baggies will go into the final game of the season knowing that a win at QPR will guarantee their return to the Premier League next season.
But even if they do slip up, as they did at Huddersfield on Friday, and then miss out in the play-offs for the second straight season, Madeley believes that the relationship Bilic has built with the club’s fans since his appointment last summer, means he would not be shown the door by West Brom at the end of the season.
Writing in The Athletic about what failure to win promotion would mean for the Baggies, Madeley said: “Should the next couple of weeks go badly for Albion, it is difficult to conceive of a summer without more significant change at The Hawthorns.
“That might mean transforming the core group of players that leads the Albion team or it might mean another change in the manager’s office.
“Given the way Bilic has endeared himself to the Albion fanbase and helped build bridges between the club and the stands, the latter is not a prospect many will want to entertain.”
Should West Brom sack Bilic if they do not win promotion?YesNo |
It does seem as though Madeley has a point here.
Even if West Brom do not go up, Bilic has done remarkably well here this season, and you only have to look at what Marcelo Bielsa has achieved this year at Leeds in his second season with the club, as evidence that it would be worth giving Bilic another chance next season.
However, if promotion is not secured, you have to wonder whether Bilic’s own situation might change, if the opportunity to move elsewhere – possibly another top-flight club – might be more appealing to the Croatian than another year in the Championship, perhaps further emphasising the importance of winning promotion this season.
