West Ham Owner Admits He Should Have Sacked 'Worn Out' Slaven Bilic in the Summer

West Ham co-owner David Sullivan has claimed that West Ham should have taken the chance to dismiss manager Slaven Bilic in the summer and described the Croatian as 'worn out' at the London Stadium.

Bilic was sacked as West Ham boss on Monday morning following Saturday's 4-1 thrashing by Liverpool, with David Moyes officially appointed as his replacement on Wednesday.

According to Sullivan, Bilic was worn out and in need of a rest when he was sacked, with The Sun quoting the West Ham co-owner as saying: “Slaven is a good man, but he needs a rest to recharge.

“We had to make a change. His eyes had gone — and the fight had gone. When I told him, it was almost a relief. It had run its course. He wants to be liked, but we need to win football matches. 

"I probably should have made the change in the summer, but we decided to wait. Slaven is worn out.”

The decision to replace Bilic with Moyes, whose last managerial job ended in relegation with Sunderland, has not gone down well with many West Ham fans. However, Sullivan defended the appointment by comparing Moyes' recent troubles with those experienced by Jose Mourinho.

He added: “Jose Mourinho had a blip at Chelsea in 2015 and was sacked when they lost ten games before Christmas — does that make him a bad manager?

“He’s resurrected himself at United and won three trophies in a season. A run of bad results can happen. David accepts what happened at Sunderland but, in my view, it is the kiss of death going there anyway. 

"You don’t manage a club the size of Everton for ten years if you are a bad manager — he is a good manager."

West Ham are currently 18th in the Premier League, with just two wins from their opening 11 games. Moyes' first game as West Ham manager will be away to Watford on November 19.