Slaven Bilic: Albion are in a gunfight but can survive
Slaven Bilic admitted Albion are in a “gunfight” but insisted he is the man to get them out of trouble as his side prepares to face Tottenham on Sunday.
It’s just three months since the head coach guided the Baggies back into the Premier League.
But a winless start to the new campaign has led to speculation Bilic is fighting for his job with Lee Bowyer and Sam Allardyce having already been mooted as potential successors.
Bilic, though, showed his passion for a job at a fiery press conference today.
And while he is disappointed with the start his side has made, he is adamant they have enough about them to get out of trouble.
“I know exactly what we have to do,” the boss said.
“I have been in the Premier League and I have done well – there are a few boxes we have to tick.
“We are in a situation that we don’t want to be in. But realistically, we are in a position that everyone in the football world predicted us to be.
“Let’s not be shocked where we are – this is a rookie season for most of the guys.
"This is the season where we have that newcomer label.
“This is a season where we haven’t invested heavily, so our aim is to stay up.
“We are in a gunfight and that means we can never give up, we have to be overcommitted. It means don’t play games, live them. Give everything.
“It’s hard, it’s damn hard. But can we do it? Yes. But we have to do it together.”
Bilic admitted he expected his team to adapt to the Premier League quicker than they have.
But he is adamant they have the quality needed to survive.
“I thought we would need less time to adapt but there was always a chance this could be us,” he continued.
“Every betting company, every pundit, every media man, predicted us to finish rock bottom.
“We have to improve, of course, but we have to be strong, committed and show our quality.
“We are in a gunfight with a few other teams. To get out of it we have to live for every minute in every game – it’s as simple as that.
“We have quality but we have to compensate for a lack of some quality – all newcomers to the league have that.
“But you can compensate for it by being in overdrive all the time.
“That is why I use the word crazy. You have to be crazy with your commitment, crazy with your determination and motivation. Then our quality will be enough.
“We have to improve but one of the boxes we have to tick is commitment.
“It has been there but we need more. We need to push our borders.”
