Bilic won 30 of his 87 league games as Hammers boss, losing 31
Slaven Bilic needed a break from management for the sake of his health, says ex-West Ham striker Ian Wright.
Bilic, 49, was sacked as Hammers boss on Monday with the club in the relegation zone after winning two of their first 11 games.
"As a friend, I'm actually pleased, knowing what he has been going through," Wright told BBC Radio 5 live.
"For his health he needs this break from it, because you can't work like that, always two games from the sack."
'A leap in the dark for West Ham, a shot at redemption for Moyes'
Former Manchester United manager David Moyes, who resigned as Sunderland boss in May following the club's relegation from the Premier League, is expected to be brought in for the rest of the season.
Bilic was appointed in 2015, and led West Ham to seventh in his first campaign, but they dropped to 11th the following season - their first at London Stadium.
This season, they have beaten only Swansea and Huddersfield and conceded seven goals in their last two home defeats, against Brighton and Liverpool.
"I don't think they looked like they were working hard enough and the stats prove it." Wright added on the Monday Night Club.
"If it is David Moyes coming in, the first thing he has to do is improve the fitness because it looks like they were not interested and that has to come from the manager."
'Payet exit started slump'
Former Republic of Ireland international Andy Townsend believes the protracted departure of playmaker Dimitri Payet in January was a key factor in the club's slump.
"I put it all back to that," he said. "They had a special player there and for whatever reason, he left - and in such a bad way that they never seemed to recover. They have been scratching around for form since."
Townsend warned that West Ham may suffer in the same way as Aston Villa, who secured three successive sixth-placed finishes under Martin O'Neill, but then fell down the table as spending was reduced, and were relegated in 2016.
"Martin O'Neill desperately wanted to take them into that next arena," Townsend said. "Villa were on the cusp of being the next one to muscle past the big four.
"I don't want to frighten West Ham fans with that Villa analogy but the owners at Villa decided they didn't want to spend that money and all of a sudden they started to slide."
Source: bbc.com