You must respect Mourinho - Bilic

Ahead of their first competitive meeting on Saturday,
West Ham United's Slaven Bilic was full of praise for
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic believes even if you love or
hate Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho, you must respect
what he has achieved in his career.

Mourinho has endured a tough time this season as reigning
Premier League champions Chelsea languish in 12th position,
while the Portuguese's off-field antics have attracted unwanted
attention.

Despite the scrutiny, Bilic said he has nothing but praise for
Mourinho, revealing how the three-time Premier League winner
went out of his way to contact him following his arrival at Upton
Park in June.

"I was pleased and since then we are exchanging texts," he
said. "I like him a lot. I really like him.

"He is everything but boring. For the media as well, he is like a
magnet. He is a top, top man.

"The most successful people, the most charismatic people, the
No1s, they are always polarising people.

"You love them or hate them. I am not trying to campaign to
become a president or prime minister of England. I am not
talking about why the people love him or hate him.

"But there's no chance that you don’t respect him and all that he
has done. His CV is unbelievable."

West Ham, who sit in fourth in the Premier League, host Chelsea
at Upton Park on Saturday.