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LONDON. – Slaven Bilic admits he expected to be sacked after confirmation yesterday that West Ham are looking for a new manager. David Moyes will be confirmed as the new West Ham manager today, Sky Sports News understands. The former Manchester United and Everton boss will succeed Bilic in the role after the Croatian was relieved of his duties yesterday. Moyes will become the 16th manager in West Ham’s history and will sign an interim six-month contract, with the club languishing in 18th place in the Premier League.

Bilic was fired yesterday morning, less than 24 hours after his side fell into the English Premier League soccer’s bottom three thanks to Everton’s 3-2 win over Watford. Speaking on his way out of the club’s Rush Green training base yesterday, Bilic said: “I am sad and disappointed but not in the club, I expected it to be fair. There are no hard feelings. I am going to be, especially when some time goes by, very proud of my work here.

“We didn’t start this crucial season well. We had a really good, or great, or very good first season, then the second season we knew was going to be a difficult one in a transition to move to the new stadium and all the difficulties we had. We coped with that at the end really good, finished middle of the table, but then this season we hoped we could make that step from the start and we just didn’t make it – as in many clubs in the Premier League and across Europe the manager is the one who pays the price.

“You are always hoping, and you believe in yourself, that you can turn it around and do it, but that doesn’t mean I don’t understand the move the club has made. It is a very logical move. The fans were brilliant with me from the start until the very end, and I really felt it. It’s not just words. For me, this was more than a job, it was personal because of my relationship with the club, one I played for. They came here for my first game, a team from Andorra, and made a full house. You have to respect that and nothing will change that memory for me.” Bilic’s last game in charge was Saturday’s 4-1 defeat by Liverpool at London Stadium. A statement from West Ham said the club believed a change was necessary “to move forward positively and in line with their ambition.”

Former Everton and Manchester United boss Moyes has been strongly linked with succeeding Bilic. West Ham say Bilic’s coaching assistants Nikola Jurcevic, Edin Terzic, Julian Dicks and Miljenko Rak have also left the club with immediate effect. Chris Woods, who was goalkeeping coach under Moyes at Everton and United, is the only member of the coaching staff to remain. “The club’s search for a new manager to take West Ham United forward is under way and an announcement regarding Bilic’s successor is expected to be made over the coming days,” added. – BBC Sport.