We have the same dream. I am preparing things.
Slaven Bilic wrote and performed what became the Croatian anthem of Euro 2008. Entitled “Vatreno Ludilo,” or “Fiery Madness,” the song was recorded by the metal group Rawbau and featured then-Croatia manager Bilic, stiff-jawed and behind sunglasses, on guitar.
The former defender went on to be one of the stars of Euro 2008, his touchline tenacity and rock star persona driving his side to wins over Austria, Germany and Poland en route to the quarterfinals—the furthest Croatia had progressed in a major competition since the 1998 World Cup.
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Not surprisingly, it was a reference to that third-place finish in France that opened “Vatreno Ludilo.” It was there, after all, that the Bilic legend was born.
Having arrived at the tournament with a fractured hip he nevertheless played in all Croatia’s matches at the ’98 World Cup. A programme of painkillers, abstention from training and considerable discomfort took him through the month, but his career ended not long afterwards.
Fiery madness, when it starts. Fiery. Let everything burn through our veins.
Bilic—passionate, severe and loyal to a fault—burned through his playing days. But shortly after retiring he took charge of hometown club Hajduk Split on an interim basis and in 2004 got a job with the Croatia Under-21s.
An appointment to the senior national team followed two years later, after which he managed Lokomotiv Moscow and Besiktas before being named West Ham United boss this past June.
On Sunday he’ll oversee his first Premier League match when the Hammers make the short trip to Arsenal. It’s a baptism by fire, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
West Ham’s season actually began more than a month ago with a pair of early Europa League matches against Andorran outfit Lusitanos. A 4-0 aggregate victory was followed by a rather more nervy tie with Malta’s Birkirkara, although the English side slipped through on penalties after losing 1-0 in Ta’Qali.
Last week their continental campaign continued with a 2-2 draw at home to Astra Giurgiu of Romania, and on Thursday they’ll be on the left bank of the Danube for the return fixture. Three days later they’ll face Arsenal.
And they’ll do so without Ecuador international Enner Valencia, who suffered knee and ankle injuries in the first leg against Astra and could be out until December. The 25-year-old scored only four Premier League goals last term but was expected to be a key piece of the attack this time around, especially with fellow striker Andy Carroll sidelined until October.
Then there is the small matter of Alex Song.
The Barcelona midfielder enjoyed something of a comeback season while on loan at West Ham in 2014-15, but talks are still ongoing to secure his services for a second campaign. Club co-chairman David Gold has said he remains hopeful the Cameroon international will be back in claret and blue before too long, but failure to agree terms could see West Ham scrambling ahead of the upcoming transfer deadline.
It’s amid such uncertainty that Bilic has been pressing forward through Europa League qualifying and pre-season friendlies. Results, so far, have been mixed. But in the 46-year-old, West Ham have the figure they long wanted to lead them, even if the destination, never mind the means of getting there, remains uncertain.
Although the likes of Angelo Ogbonna, Pedro Obiang, Dimitri Payet and Manuel Lanzini have arrived at the Boleyn Ground through transfers it’s Bilic who represents the club’s signature move of the summer, for better or worse.
Bilic played fewer than 50 matches for West Ham between 1996 and 1997 but is nevertheless a cult icon at what is very much a cult-icon club.
His time at Upton Park overlapped with that of Frank Lampard, who has spoken as to the Croatian’s ability to puff up a footballer and coax that little more out of him—to get him to play above himself. But if motivation is a Bilic trademark it compensates for a perceived deficiency in making tactical adjustments on the fly.
Blood and guts, after all, can only take a team so far, and at club level Bilic is yet to experience anything beyond modest success.
This, however, is a celebratory year at West Ham given its upcoming move to the Olympic Stadium, and the Bilic appointment it has given the fans a figure to rally behind as it marks its final season at the Boleyn Ground after more than a century.
But will performances provide reasons to cheer?
The style of play—the “West Ham way”—surely will, in that Bilic represents the desired separation from the cagey, pragmatic football of predecessor Sam Allardyce. That said, there is peril in the exchange of safety for unbridled emotion.
And that’s the risk that accompanies Bilic. No doubt the fire will burn through the veins. But then what?
Jerrad Peters is a Winnipeg-based writer. Follow him on Twitter