A crying shame …but Slaven Bilic’s time had to come to an end at West Ham

David Sullivan had been reluctant to change his manager unless things became “desperate” but - directionless on the pitch and uncertain off it - the time had come and Slaven Bilic knew it.

An honest, dignified man, Bilic had, in fact, suspected the game was up for some time but watching him suffer on the touchline through a series of demoralising displays from his dysfunctional West Ham team this season, has not been a pleasant experience.

The 4-1 home defeat by Liverpool, it seems, finally fulfilled co-owner Sullivan’s criterion of desperation, with the Croat accepting the unpalatable fact that some of his players had lost faith in him and his coaching staff.

The 49-year-old former Croatia national coach, who enjoyed such a successful first season as manager of the club for whom he used to play, had been worn down by the incessant rumour, speculation and sporadic sniping about his suitability to carry on in the job.

The West Ham board gave him a three-year contract when he succeeded Sam Allardyce and desperately wanted him to turn things round for a few different reasons: they liked him and wanted him to succeed and earn a new deal, they were reluctant to pay him off and they knew they would have more options when picking a new manager at the end of the season.

At what was likely to be his final post-match press conference as Hammers boss at London Stadium, Bilic defiantly denied he was a broken man. There were times, though, especially this season when, if not broken, he looked badly bruised.

A parting of the ways now probably suits both parties. The West Ham hierarchy will be concerned about their Premier League future, while Bilic will be anxious that many more depressing afternoons in East London would further erode his reputation.

This crisis - and that is exactly what it is - has been coming for some time. Yes, Bilic’s first season back at Upton Park was memorable for many reasons but chiefly because he had a world-class player at his disposal in Dimitri Payet. Also, anyone who doubted Bilic’s empathy for the job need only to look back to the final game at West Ham’s old home, the 3-2 win over Manchester United in May last year, an occasion which reduced the Croat to tears at the final whistle.

The subsequent move, three miles down the road to Stratford, was never going to be straightforward, while Payet’s acrimonious exit in mid-season was just as significant.

Bilic’s future became a topic of discussion as last season progressed but wins over Crystal Palace, Swansea and Tottenham served to disguise the depth of the problem.

Pace was identified as a priority during the summer and Marko Arnautovic was duly signed for a club-record £25million fee, a deal promptly hailed by the vast majority of Stoke supporters as ‘good business’.

The rift between Sullivan and his manager deepened at the end of the transfer window, when Bilic believed that another top target, Sporting Lisbon’s defensive midfielder William Carvalho, would be joining.

In the event, a deal could not be done and Bilic was further mystified when, after the window closed, Sullivan revealed that alternative signings had been offered to the manager — but that he had rejected them.

There was further tension when suggestions of adding a new face to his coaching staff were rejected outright by Bilic.

It was defeats - and the manner of them - which finally brought things to a head and prompted Sullivan to act.

Sullivan, co-chairman David Gold and vice chairman Karren Brady will have been looking at alternatives for some time but, as they will have already known, their options are severely limited during the season.

Sean Dyche, David Wagner and Eddie Howe would have been considered but subsequently discounted as unavailable at this time.

David Moyes, who earned a reputation as one of English football’s best managers at Everton but who subsequently had difficult times at Manchester United, Real Sociedad and Sunderland, is the favourite to succeed Bilic, at least until the end of the season but possibly longer.

Other names mentioned have been Guus Hiddink and Alan Pardew, who guided West Ham to promotion to the Premier League and an FA Cup Final in his first spell there as manager.

Moyes is certainly available and, from what he has indicated, is ready to take on what will be a demanding challenge. It is less likely however that Phil Neville, as rumoured over the weekend, will be installed as his assistant.

The Scot has a reputation for organising teams and making them difficult to beat, which is the priority for a team who leak too many soft goals.

Moyes has the added advantage of having two of his former allies at Everton already at West Ham, in director of player recruitment Tony Henry and goalkeeping coach Chris Woods.

Some West Ham fans have already expressed their dissatisfaction at the possibility of Moyes joining the club, with one website’s poll in favour of keeping Bilic, rather than the recruitment of the former Everton manager.

Whoever replaces the Croat has a real job on their hands. Bilic, throughout his time at West Ham, has never shirked his responsibilities.

That cannot always be said of some of his players, who now need to show the same sort of honesty and introspection as their departing manager.

Bilic meanwhile, deserves a good rest before he resurrects his career.