Slaven Bilic says he is “a million times” a better manager for having worked in the
Saudi Pro-League. Even if he quit for a reason that might come as something of a shock.
“I left because the club couldn’t pay me,” Bilic says. “I had done the pre-season and we had a great season last season. We finished seventh, just after the big clubs, and there was talk – talk of getting money, not getting money. We had done pre-season with just 14 players, half of them were kids from the academy. It was a bad situation.”
Bilic was in charge of Al Fateh, which is not one of the big, well-resourced Saudi clubs where most of the huge influx of funding – led by the Public Investment Fund – is concentrated. There was no money, at that time, to invest in his team.
“Half the league was waiting and thinking ‘How are we going to get the money?’ I was meant to fly and they called me and said ‘coach, we can’t pay you. What are we going to do?’ And then we made an agreement and that was it,” explains Bilic, who had a year left on his contract.
He had done an exceptional job. Al Fateh were the best of the rest in the SPL, with its big stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema, and while his own experience ended surprisingly, he is certain the league will be a success and not least because the kingdom has a football culture and will host the World Cup in 2034. “It’s only the beginning and I think eventually they are going to sort it out,” he says.
Money was not the biggest challenge, however. Instead, it was perception.
“Every manager who goes there, like with China a few years ago, the reaction is ‘oh, he’s finished!’ When [Rafael] Benítez wanted to come back from China [where he was coaching Dalian to take over at Everton in 2021] they were saying ‘can he do it? But he’s not a player. What did he lose, his legs? He gained,” Bilic says. “The only question is whether you are hungry or not. What people don’t realise is that for me as a manager it was a bigger challenge to manage in Saudi Arabia than in Europe.
“Basically you are improving as a coach when you are there. I am a better coach, a million times, than before Saudi. Million times. Because of all the issues you have to deal with. It’s ridiculous when they think you can’t do it. It helps you. I am better. New culture, new problems, everything.”
But the same hunger. The 56-year-old has not worked since leaving Saudi last August – and certainly no one can accuse him of going there for the money – and while he has enjoyed being back in Croatia for an extended period for the first time in 12 years, building a new house in his home town of Split, he misses something: the stress.
Stress? “You need stress. Because if you are living with stress or drive or pressure – not in a negative way – for 20 years then a stressless life becomes stress to you,” Bilic says. “I love to work.”
For now there is also a role as a television interviewer. Bilic is good on TV, has worked as a pundit, not least for ITV during tournaments, and has been interviewed – like this – many times.
But now he is asking the questions on a Croatian show called
Failure of Champions which examines the lows as well as the highs famous sports figures have gone through and is aimed at young people. His guests include the celebrated Croatian basketball coach Zeljko Obradovic, a nine-time Champions League winner in four countries, and former Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic.
“Every champion never had it easy,” says Bilic, who as a defender was sent out on loan by Hajduk Split aged 15. “[Nemanja] Vidic was sent to Moscow, they wouldn’t call him to the national team and he ended up at Man United. Goran Pandev won the Champions League with [José] Mourinho and he was at Lazio and didn’t have enough money to pay the rent. From outside they see the end product but they don’t know the journey. The main message for the kids is don’t quit.”
Bilic, too, will not quit. He will be back next season. There have been offers, plenty of offers, but he wants to wait until the summer to get a pre-season to prepare and is targeting managing in Europe again.
“Every week someone is calling,” he says. “But I decided to wait to try and get something here [in England] or in Europe. There have been a few so far from Europe but I want to wait for the next season.”
England legends ‘should be appreciated more’
England – we meet in London – remains Bilic’s second home; a place he cherishes and where he is loved. As a centre-half he played for
West Ham United and Everton and has managed West Ham, West Bromwich Albion, gaining promotion to the Premier League at the first attempt, and Watford as well as the Croatia national team, in Turkey, Russia, China and twice now in
Saudi Arabia.
“Most coaches want to come to England. The whole world wants to be here,” says Bilic before launching into a passionate defence of young English managers. “I am a foreign coach, so I don’t want to be a hypocrite, but it’s a problem here with your own coaches, your own legends who should be appreciated more,” he argues.
“It’s why
Steven Gerrard had to go to Saudi [to coach Al Ettifaq, which he recently left] or Frank Lampard is at Coventry. For me, that’s nonsense. With the greatest respect, and he might get them there, he should be in the Premier League. Where did he screw up? Derby, play-off final. Chelsea, first time, couldn’t sign any players, got them in the Champions League, FA Cup final. What was wrong? Everton, did well.
“Even Wayne Rooney. I was at West Brom when he took over at Derby and they played good football. Okay, he went to the United States, Birmingham, Plymouth but people couldn’t wait to try and bring him down.
“It’s like what the Bible said – no one is a prophet in their own land. Same in Italy. [Fabio] Cannavaro and [Gennaro] Gattuso now manage in Croatia. And Croatia is the same. They would rather have Gattuso than [Robert] Prosinecki.
“Make no mistake, it is harder here. Look at [Ruben] Amorim and the work he did at Sporting and how difficult he is finding it at Manchester United and all the big clubs in Europe were thinking about him. But you see how difficult the Premier League is and especially at Manchester United. You see it through Amorim, through Antony, through [Marcus] Rashford. They look different players. You see how difficult that shirt is, how heavy it can be.
“So, the Premier League is not for everyone. The same for managers. The whole world is watching and for some it’s like ‘wow, I like this’ and others shrink. But I definitely like it. The bigger responsibility, the pressure. That’s what I want. It’s that good stress.”
‘West Ham is a cult – I loved it’
Clearly England, the Premier League and the Championship has had a huge influence on Bilic. “I don’t agree with Neil Warnock when he says ‘screw the Premier League’ but I don’t disagree also. The Championship is pure football and I love it,” he says.
