Bilic comments on sack speculation; singles out West Brom ace for praise

Bilic.West_.Brom_.TEAMtalk

West Brom manager Slaven Bilic expressed his pride at securing a vital point against Man City, and also offered his thoughts on speculation that has swirled over his position at the club.

The Baggies defended manfully to limit Man City to relatively few cear cut chances for much of their contest.

The final 10 minutes was a veritable onslaught from the hosts, but Sam Johnstone repelled each effort to presere a precious point for Bilic’s side.

Speaking to Amazon following the match, Bilic said: “I’m really proud of the boys. We asked them to work hard, to frustrate them and to wait for our chances and we’ve done everything.

“We helped each other and we counted of course on Sam Johnstone. But that’s what you need when you come to Etihad if you want to get anything from the game.

“We already played some really good stuff against the big teams. We were really disappointed when we’ve been empty handed. It’s really important today to be rewarded by the point.

FULL MATCH REPORT: Lacklustre Man City lose further ground as stubborn West Brom stand tall

“Every point counts. For me it would mean more than a point, the knowledge of what we have to do now in every game. If we go like crazy and fight for each other then we are going to have a good chance [of staying up] no matter how we play.”

On speculation around his position, the Croatian added: “I’m very calm. I’m doing my job. I’m not bothered about that.

“We showed tonight – I can’t be more proud of what my team showed for West Brom. The other things are out of my control and I’m not bothered.”

 

We rode our luck – Johnstone

Sam.Johnstone.West_.Brom_.TEAMtalk

Baggies goalkeeper Johnstone enjoyed an unusually quiet evening until the final 10 minutes.

As the game neared it’s conclusion, the ex-Man Utd star produced world class save after world class save to preserve parity between the sides.

Speaking to BBC Sport after the match, Johnstone said: “We’re buzzing with that. We knew it would be tough. We rode our luck at times but we deserved that result.

“We’ve played well in a few games and not got the result. Today we kept digging in and when that whistle goes the lads are buzzing.

“We knew the quality they have and it wasn’t going to be easy. We knew they would have a lot of the ball. We fought for the club, for the manager and for ourselves.”