Beşiktaş says embattled Bilic staying for now

ISTANBUL - Agence France-Presse

Croatian manager Slaven Bilic. AA photo

Turkish top flight football side Beşiktaş on May 16 rejected reports that it was planning to replace Croatian manager Slaven Bilic after a string of poor results.

Turkish media reports that the Istanbul side had opened talks and agreed in principle for Bursaspor manager and former national team coach Şenol Güneş to take charge of the club were "unfounded", it said in a statement.

"The manager of our team is Slaven Bilic and we will work with all our strength in the remaining three matches to take the championship that we wish for," the director of football at the club, Ahmet Nur Çebi, said.

The statement gave no comment on Bilic’s long term future at the club.
  
Beşiktaş enjoyed a superb first half of the season, sensationally knocking Liverpool out of the Europa League and also topping Turkey’s Super Lig.
  
But the Liverpool game proved to be the peak as they were dumped out of the Europa League at the next stage and then faltered in the domestic competition.
  
Bilic, who established his reputation as a coach when in charge of his national side, meanwhile has been repeatedly linked with a move to English Premier League side West Ham, who he used to play for.
  
A low came last weekend as Beşiktaş only took a point from a draw with lowly Akhisar as Bilic admitted "our performance didn’t deserve the three points."
  
With third-placed Beşiktaş now four points behind leaders and Istanbul rivals Galatasaray going into the final clashes of the season, Monday’s match with Konyaspor could be crucial to 46-year-old Bilic’s future.
  
Güneş, 62, is best known for having guided Turkey to a surprise third place finish at the 2002 World Cup finals.