Bilic admitted he expected to get the chop after a dire 4-1 loss to Liverpool on Saturday.
But he insists there wil be no hard feelings and he paid tribute to the loyal Hammers fans as he drove out the club’s training ground.
Speaking through his car window, Bilic said: “The fans were brilliant to me from the start to the end and I really feel it, it’s not just words.
“This was more than a job. This was personal because of my relationships with the club.
“I played for the club and fans came from the first against a team from Andorra and it was a full house. Nothing will change the memory.
“I’m disappointed and sad but not in the club. I expected it to be fair. It is the move clubs are usually doing so no hard feelings especially when the time goes by.
“I will be very proud of my work here. It’ll always be my club. There are no hard feelings at all. We didn’t start this crucial season well.
“We had a very good first season and the second one we knew would be a difficult one with the transition to the new stadium and the difficulties we had.
“We coped with that at the end really good, finished up the table, but then this season we hoped we’d make the step from the start.
“We just didn’t make it and as a result the manager is paying the price for it.
“You are always hoping and you believe in yourself you can turn it around otherwise I wouldn’t be in this job or at this level.
“It doesn’t mean I don’t understand the club will make.”
Assistants Nikola Jurcevic, Edin Terzic, Julian Dicks and Miljenko Rak have also left the club with immediate effect
A statement from owners David Gold and David Sullivan read: “During the summer, the board invested heavily signing the players Slaven believed would complete the squad he needed to push the Club back towards the level we had reached in his first season, and we believe we have the players capable of doing that.
“Sadly, performances and results have not been of the expected standard and, in recent weeks, we have not seen enough indication of the required improvement to give us the encouragement that things would change and we would meet our Premier League aspirations this season.
“As custodians of the football club it is our responsibility as a board to do what is best for West Ham United, and we believe a change is now necessary to ensure we can begin to move the team back in the right direction.
“We see this as an exciting opportunity to appoint a quality manager to the position to inject fresh ideas, organisation and enthusiasm into a very talented squad.”
That man is expected to be David Moyes, who has already admitted he wants the job.
Moyes is back home in Preston following his role as a pundit for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India.
A huge Moyes is on his way in is the fact Chris Woods, his trusted goalkeeping coach, remains at West Ham while all other coaches have been axed.
Sky Sports pundit Ray Wilkins said today: “Do you know why I’m 99 per cent sure it’s David Moyes as well?
“The only person who hasn’t gone is Chris Woods, the goalkeeping coach.
“He was David Moyes’ goalkeeping coach at Everton and Manchester United so it would appear it’s David coming in.”
Former West Ham striker Dean Ashton says he “feels for West Ham fans” if Moyes is on his way in – because the appointment lacks inspiration.
Asked if supporters will be excited about Moyes being appointed, Ashton said: “No of course they won’t. David Moyes has got plenty of experience and will organise them defensively because that’s what he’s always done. I feel for the West Ham fans.
“It looks like we’re going to try and scramble our way to safety for the rest of the season and that will be another season gone with no inspiration.
“And if that’s the way the club is going to go – well people are still going to back the club and the fans are still going to. But I can see why it’s not inspirational.
“As a player David Moyes coming in wouldn’t inspire me. That’s going to be hard for David Moyes – he will have to overcome that straightaway.”
