West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has revealed that he was deeply affected by his side's poor start to the season, but feels it has made him stronger.
The Hammers lost five of their first six matches at the start of the 2016-17 campaign, leading for some supporters and journalists to call for his head.
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The Croat says that he was not immune to the criticism, and was forced to put on a brave face despite 'hurting'.
“You pretend at home that you are OK because you don’t want it to affect your family,” Bilic told the Daily Mirror.
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“But inside of course you are hurting. This is not the kind of job that you can leave in your office and go home.
“Of course I wasn’t enjoying the defeats but sometimes you have to sacrifice something to get something.
“The experience is priceless. They say that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
“It’s great because now I can see it as a great experience. For me personally, for the players, and for the club."
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Bilic feels that constant criticism is now part of the game, with nobody involved exempt from feeling its effects.
He also thinks that it is impossible to switch off from the criticism, but is glad that he can now turn it into something positive and uses it as a motivational tool.
“When you go home a part of you is affected by what happened during the day, with your bosses or colleagues or some fans who said something on social media," Bilic continued.
“In football it is not only the players or the manager who are getting the criticism, now the media gets it as well.
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“Every one of you is very reachable from every fan around the world. I’m sure that you can say ‘I am not bothered’ but it affects your mood, your private mood.
“On a bigger scale of course it affects ours. And that is a good thing because if it was not affecting me or other managers then we would lose our determination and spirit for our job.”
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