Former West Brom manager Slaven Bilic is back in charge at Watford, after the club fired ex-Wolves defender Rob Edwards after only ten games.

Edwards was appointed in the summer after working as a youth coach at Wolves before moving on to manage AFC Telford United and Forest Green Rovers, where he won the League Two title last year.

However, with Watford currently tenth in the table after being relegated last season, the club relieved Edwards of his duties and replaced him with former West Bromwich Albion manager Bilic.

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Who is Slaven Bilić? 

Slaven Bilić, born September 11, 1968, is a Croatian professional football manager and former player. He is the current manager of EFL Championship club Watford F.C. He is 54 years old. 

Bilić was brought up in Yugoslavia by parents – Ivan Bilić and Marijia Bilić. 

Bilić began his career as a defender with his hometown club Hajduk Split in 1988, later having successful spells with Karlsruher SC in Germany, West Ham United and Everton in England before retiring from active football in 2001.

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At the international level, Bilić was one of Croatia‘s most consistent defenders under coach Miroslav Blaevi, earning 44 caps between 1992 and 1999 and appearing in UEFA Euro 1996 and the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he helped Croatia finish third.

Bilić coached Hajduk Split in the second half of the 2001-02 season after retiring from playing in 2001. He managed Croatia’s under-21 team from 2004 to 2006 before taking over the senior national team. He led the team to the quarterfinals of the 2008 European Championship before leaving four years later. He was praised for his long-standing service to the national team and was credited with successfully transitioning a number of young players from the under-21 squad to the senior squad.

In January 1996, he was signed by Harry Redknapp, manager of Premier League club West Ham United, for a fee of £1.3 million, breaking the club’s record for the highest fee paid for an incoming player. Bilić made his debut for Everton in August 1997 after securing the full support of new manager Howard Kendall. He brought some class to the Toffees’ backline at first, but his season was marred by bookings that caused him to miss several games due to suspension. Bilić made his international debut on 5 July 1992 in a friendly match against Australia at Olympic Park Stadium, which they lost 1-0.

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Bilić is fluent in German, Italian, and English, in addition to his native Croatian, and he has a law degree. He is a member of Rawbau, a Croatian rock band, and plays rhythm guitar with his favourite red Gibson Explorer. In 2008, the band recorded “Vatreno ludilo,” a song for Croatia’s performance at Euro 2008. (Fiery Madness).