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Has Big Sam won us over?

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West Ham United’s win over Newcastle United on Sunday meant we have made our best ever start to a Premier League campaign with 18 points from 11 games. For me this is all down to the shrewdness and tactical nous of Big Sam Allardyce.

The former Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle and Blackburn Rovers boss has got the Hammers faithful smiling again and after a rocky start to his managerial career at West Ham he has firmly won over his early critics.

A forum on KUMB.com fittingly named “Big Sam. Do you love him yet?” shows how far Big Sam has come since he started one Hammer said “Stability and pragmatism are the hallmarks of Sam’s work at West Ham and after god knows how many years of the complete opposite, I’m thoroughly enjoying it. When we went one up yesterday, I actually felt confident we’d hold on to the lead, even get another goal. I can’t remember having that sort of confidence with any other West Ham manager.”

I agree with “Liberos” point entirely Big Sam has improved us dramatically both defensively and in attacking areas, the club has an air of confidence about it that I’ve personally never seen in my life. Like Libero said the club has stability that has been missing for so long, and for me with consistency comes stability.

 

Big Sam has built a team ready for a Premier league battle, last season he bought in a new captain for our club and one of the best goal scoring midfielders of the modern generation, Kevin Nolan. After a year in the Championship he created a memory that will last a lifetime a win at Wembley, that moment there was the moment he became the man I wanted to be in charge of my club for years to come.

 

A stout determined man from Dudley, a hard hitting defender in his past he know his style of play and his tactics like the back of his hand. People who tag him as long ball are naïve. He is so much more than that, he sets his side up prepared and ready to go for every different opponent. Against City was a prime example, every West Ham fan and player alike knew possession wise we were always going to get battered but the way we set up suggested Big Sam knew that. Play on the break try and steal that early goal, and see what happens, it was one of the best defensive displays I’ve seen and it typified the ‘never say die’ attitude that Big Sam has created.  And for the record if it wasn’t for an iffy offside decision we’d have been on 21 points right now not 18 I’m convinced of it.

So back to my original point, do we love him yet? Well love is a strong word, I’ve always back Big Sam, he is man who you can be reassured will set up a team that will fight for the team, he brings in players he know and players he knows can play well within his style. His attitude to the game is second to none and he is slowly turning into a West Ham legend. I’ve seen people say he is the best manager since Johnny Lyall and that is kind words indeed and sums up just how far he has come.

Besides even if it is early doors we are sixth in the league how can we possibly complain. Surely it is time to change that chant from “We are West Ham’s Claret and Blue army” to “We are Big Sam’s Claret and Blue army”.

Come on you Irons!

Tweet me @Bowdenwhu

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18 comments

  • The Cat says:

    Well said, I’m surprised that there aren’t more articles about what should be OBVIOUS to most!
    Big Sam hasn’t ONLY turned our first teams fortunes around on the pitch on a budget, but he has (with the Chairmen) turned this Whole club around. He has given structure to the club from the roots to the first team both in what is expected on the pitch to what is demanded from the manager himself.
    It would take a long time to point out all the pieces of this puzzle that only a truly experienced manager can put together, but in terms of players brought to this club, players released and the players that were allowed to walk….. Big Sam has been 100% correct in all his decisions.
    Best manager since Lyall?……….
    110% Correct!
    Big Sam’s Claret and Blue army!!!

    • john says:

      sam is the man we should be singing his name big time we have played some brillant football hes well connected his signings are doing really well give sam some credit because he has sorted all grants crap out coyi

      • The Cat says:

        Totally agreed John!

        I’m a Happy Hammer now, but I’m NOT totally sure Big Sam will EVER get the credit he deserves or is due here at West Ham or elsewhere within the game.
        He’s definitely NOT fashionable or seen to be cool firstly amongst the press (who like to put people in boxes) or other fans (who like us before he arrived)use the press nonsense to have what feels like common knowledge and legitimate facts to put him (and the club he’s tied to at the time)down.

        I had an irrational hatred of Big Sam but after first getting over the initial shock of him being linked with West Ham and then him actually getting the job (Credit to the two David’s) I had an eureka moment where it all became clear what my, sad,tired,underachieving,day dreaming club needed…… and we got it Big Style!

        I also give him credit for standing up to the idiots who spouted nonsense about the West Ham way! It was those same people who didn’t want the David’s at the club and wanted that twit(er fool) Fernandes instead…..Phew, luckily we missed that boat!

  • Carl Bateson says:

    Brilliant piece

  • geordie says:

    Iam a newcastle fan and had to endure that massive headed man ‘big sam’ at my club for a couple of seasons and it was the worst football i have ever watched at st jsmes. Do not be fooled by sams early results he done the same with us and its almost aceptable when we scraped the odd win but try watching that style of football when the two chances a game areny being converted and yhe other yeam scores it is like pulling teeth watching that style of play. He knocked our team back years picking up old players and putying them on long contracts and big wages…you cant get rid off them in the end. Hes a football dinosaur!!

    • David Bowden says:

      Jealousy is not an attractive trait have fun with Pardew for 8 years! That footballing dinosaur tactically destroyed Pardews modern day football last weekend..

      • Alex says:

        I’d have to agree with Geordie.

        I am enjoying Big Sam’s influence at the beginning of this season. I cannot be anything but grateful for what he is done.

        However, it only needs a quick peek at the affair that we played at both Swansea and Wigan, to see where the holes are.

        I’m not asking for a win every game, and a premier league title, but those two games were tell tale signs of things to come, if the pressure becomes too much.

        I do hope we’ll do fantastic this season, and I do see us resting on the top half at the end of it. But it’s the honeymoon period. The second season in the top flight is the one to wait for.

        On a side; Alan Pardew was a fantastic manager for us, and I was sad to see him go.

        • The Cat says:

          I WASN’T sad to see Pardew go, maybe because I realise that his motivational powers we waning because of his wandering wand and an ego the size of a planet.
          Big Sam and Pardew can’t be compared, because it’s more like master and pupil. Store this thread and in 8 years time if Pardew is as good as some are making out, he’ll be managing Man U. I seriously doubt it though!

  • Headmaster says:

    Love the results, loathe the man. Football is better this season, it was dog***t last.
    We had an easy start to the season, got off to a great start, which breeds confidence and gives us a platform. Happy enough for now. But, ‘love’? No chance.

  • Mogwyth says:

    “I am a newcastle fan and had to endure that massive headed man ‘big sam’ at my club for a couple of seasons”

    Obviously a different Sam then as Sam Allardyce didn’t even complete one season at Newcastle, or not much of Necastle fan.

    • The Cat says:

      Well said! Toon supporters could never be described as truthful or impartial. Probably BITTER is more like it!

  • The Cat says:

    Opinions are like ………’s everyone has one!
    The trouble is Big Sam has always been hated because he has always been an outsider, upsetting the odds at every opportunity! I should know because I hated him when he was at Bolton….. the reason?…. Because I felt we were a bigger club than Bolton and we had no right to lose to them. Why did we lose? Because Big Sam is a thorough manager who does his homework and sets his team up well.

    THIS is the reason why the Big teams (and those that THINK they’re big)don’t like him. Seeing is believing and my eyes are telling me that he’s doing one hell of a job.
    Keep it up Big Fella!

  • Big Fat Sam says:

    Cheers Lads 😉

    • The Cat says:

      I’m NOT a fan of the BFS thing as I DON’T find it funny…… Just Disrespectful!
      Malcolm Allison wasn’t called Big Fat Mal and for good reason, for our own supporters to say BFS isn’t funny in my eyes!

  • Darren says:

    Big Sam has done a great job, I can now sit down n watch a game n not worry, which all My life being a west ham fan, I’ve never had! The Newcastle fans, posting in this, if I rem when big Sam left, you was in the top half of the prem? And the went straight dorm after big Sam left funny that! Big sam’s claret and blue army! COYI

  • Ben hammer says:

    I’m a big fan of big Sam and respect what his achieved with the club already. We have stability the best u21 acadamy since the rio, frank and co era.. Our away record for 2012 is the best ive ever witnessed. signings of Carroll, Nolan, Mo are the obvious but one I I’ve been pleased to see is the return of yossi I know he left so is no legend but he is one of the best since di canio with pure class’s football skills. Big Sam brought him bk and has stuck by reid who is personally my hammer of the year so far this year. For the first time in years we are United and so are the supporters. So last season when big Sam stood up to them groaning negative hammers supporters and said your deluded he was right the usual fans were having an annual moan he stood up to them and said is you’re classic traditional footballing style the one were we get beat every week. Big Sam was right he sticks up for himself and the team I may even go as far in saying I now look forward to manger on Monday on whufc. He talks sense publicly and to his players something we have missed for years.

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