Hutton slams West Brom for ‘crazy’ decision ahead of clash v Aston Villa
Alan Hutton has labelled the decision from West Brom to sack Slaven Bilic and bring in Sam Allardyce as a ‘crazy’ one.
Speaking to Ladbrokes in the wake of the news, as reported by the Birmingham Live, Hutton hit out at the Premier League strugglers for their poor timing, saying: “It was crazy when I saw that Slaven Bilic news break on Tuesday night; I couldn’t believe it.
“Obviously I know they’ve not been doing the best in the league, but the timing of it all, having just got a point at the Etihad, was just crazy.”
The news broke on Tuesday night that Bilic would be sacked, just hours after the Baggies secured a valuable point away to Manchester City.
The official news would not come until Wednesday lunchtime, with the club acting quickly to confirm Allardyce as the Croatian’s replacement.
Bilic leaves West Brom two points from safety after guiding the Baggies back into the Premier League from the Championship.
West Brom have a derby against Aston Villa next time out on Sunday.
Bilic leaves a platform for Allardyce
While the timing of the sacking appears to be incredibly disrespectful to Bilic, it suggests that the decision was made prior to the draw at Manchester City.
The move to bring in Allardyce shows a clear push for safety and nothing more, with the former England manager known for his ability to keep teams in the Premier League.
Bilic leaves Allardyce with some good foundations to build on at the Hawthorns. Not only the point away to Man City but also slightly improved defensive performances.
Aside from the heavy defeat to Crystal Palace, the Baggies are conceding fewer goals per game of late.
The home defeat to Palace was the club’s first ‘heavy’ defeat since the 5-2 loss away to Everton back in September.
The Baggies have also only conceded three goals from set-pieces this season, as per WhoScored, so if Allardyce can get the squad organised at the back, there may be hope for them in the Premier League.
In other West Brom news, ‘He made you believe’ – Sky Sports pundit backs former boss to succeed at West Brom