West Bromwich Albion manager Slaven Bilic has spoken to Turkish newspaper Fanatik about his club’s current situation and life in the Championship.
The Croatian manager was in charge of Besiktas between 2013 and 2015, before moving to West Ham United. He’s still popular in Turkey following his time with the Istanbul club and was linked with a return to the Super Lig when sacked by the Hammers.
However, he decided to remain in England and he took the West Brom job in the summer.
Talking about the current season, the 51 year old said the Championship is one of the toughest leagues in the world, but they are determined to succeed: “We’ve started the season very well. We are currently sitting first in the league table. We’ve scored the most goals in the entire league so far.
“The Premier League consists of the world’s best players. But the Championship has its own tradition and own dynamics. We have to play 46 games in this league.
“You can’t see this anywhere in the world. Every team is playing a different style of football. Some of them defending very well, the others are attacking very well.”
Bilic was obviously asked about his side’s chances of making it to the top flight, and responded: “Of course, our aim is to get promotion to the Premier League, but it will be tough because lots of clubs want to achieve this. We have a new team here. We have room for improvement. It won’t be an easy ride.”
West Brom currently top the Championship table after 19 games and are two points ahead of second-place Leeds United.
Victory over Preston North End on Monday night enabled them to leapfrog Leeds United in and they’ll be looking to continue in their winning ways when they meet Swansea City on Sunday.
There are some football fans in Turkey undoubtedly wishing Bilic and the Baggies all the best.
