 became a Croatian football anthem, and Bilic's stock at Vicarage Road rose immeasurably in the fiery madness of Watford's 4-0 derby demolition of neighbours Luton last weekend. If he can solve the riddle of his team's model inconsistency – they have not won two consecutive games for 18 months, or two in a row in front of fans since December 2019 – it would be one of his greatest hits. Bilic is planning to add fellow West Ham legend Julian Dicks, with whom he worked as Hammers boss until they sacked him five years ago, almost to the day, to his staff. And when he has put the band back together, Watford – three points outside the play-offs - may yet summon the firepower to sustain a third promotion to the top flight in eight years. He doesn't enjoy questions about his guitar hero alter-ego, but a bit of rock star magic aligns him with the club's most celebrated fan, a 75-year-old pianist of extravagant talent and wardrobe. 'Look, I was never a rock star,' protested Bilic. 'I play the guitar as a hobby like everybody has a hobby. I played when I was having a break between being a player and a manager. Bill Clinton played saxophone, but that didn't mean he couldn't do his job as President of the United States. 'My hobby is guitar music and it has helped me in my career, but there is less time to do it now. I still have the guitar at home in Croatia, but I didn't bring it over here. To be fair, the demands of being a manager haven't changed that much because it was always a 24/7 job. 'And today in the world there are very few jobs where you can just go home and forget about work. It's basically){kind=link}
Back in the day, Bilic played in a five-piece band who produced a Croatian football anthem – but now he’s calling the tune at Vicarage Road and has already added a famous derby win to his greatest hits
Slaven Bilic hasn’t picked up his his Gibson Explorer rhythm guitar since joining Watford because he’s been too busy sorting out the riff from the smooth.
In his other incarnation, between a distinguished playing career and moving into management, the Hornets’ head coach played in five-piece rock band Rawbau. Back in the day, their song Vatrino Ludilo (translation: Fiery Madness) became a Croatian football anthem, and Bilic’s stock at Vicarage Road rose immeasurably in the fiery madness of Watford’s 4-0 derby demolition of neighbours Luton last weekend.
If he can solve the riddle of his team’s model inconsistency â they have not won two consecutive games for 18 months, or two in a row in front of fans since December 2019 â it would be one of his greatest hits. Bilic is planning to add fellow West Ham legend Julian Dicks, with whom he worked as Hammers boss until they sacked him five years ago, almost to the day, to his staff.
And when he has put the band back together, Watford â three points outside the play-offs – may yet summon the firepower to sustain a third promotion to the top flight in eight years.