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SIX things we learnt about West Ham against Crystal Palace.

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Pablo Armero Crystal Palace1) Big Sam has lost the plot and must go.

I penned an article last week about Sam Allardyce could not be trusted in the transfer market.

A few fellow West Ham supporters took umbrage to that and felt I was too harsh. One commentator, who also felt it was one of the poorest articles he had ever read, even went as far as saying: “Big Sam should be commended for the work he has done and not condemned”.

I have taken that on board and allowed those kind words to sink in and changed my tune. I now wholeheartedly believe Sam Allardyce cannot be trusted WHATSOEVER with the running of our club.

This season he has lurched from one huge error to another. After making a sizeable balls up in the summer transfer window last year, leaving the Hammers with no alternative options to Andy Carroll, he was forced into re-signing Carlton Cole – a player he had dumped at the end of the previous season.

Add to that an unhealthy reliance on club skipper Kevin Nolan, who has had one good month in the entire season, a refusal to admit when he is wrong (a case in point being his decision to play several games without a striker after it had worked once at Spurs) and a lack of understanding of how to seize the initiative in a game and it’s hard to pinpoint why the sheep still follow him.

Tactically, when it comes to defending and making a team hard to beat, Allardyce is in his element, that’s hard to argue against. Yet it’s when the onus is on his side to grab the game by the scruff of the neck – Saturday’s defeat to Crystal Palace being one such example – that he is clueless, absolutely clueless.

If you throw in the quality of football on display, or lack of, it shouldn’t be hard for a jury to reach a conclusion on this one.

Quite why some West Ham fans still blindly follow every word he says, believing in his philosophy and brand of football, I really can’t fathom it.

Wasn’t Allardyce the man that mocked the ‘West Ham way’ and said all he could guarantee was winning football. Looks like he’s failing on
both fronts now, eh?

I’m bored of Sam, now, not because I’m one of those fans who likes to change manager because we expect success – Jesus, we’re West Ham supporters let’s not forget – and I’m equally bored of those that think he is creating something positive and a future to build on. Wake up and smell the crap he’s producing. And before those that might start bleating about being claret and blue and supporting the team through thick and thin, wind your necks in.

At other clubs, Newcastle United being a good example, managers having experienced a season like Allardyce has had, would have gone a long time ago because of supporter pressure. We get behind our team first and foremost, doesn’t matter who is in charge, but don’t be fooled into thinking a boss can pull the wool over our eyes.

2) Number two is also about Allardyce, I’m afraid. This time it’s his selection policy. Italian midfielder Antonio Nocerino was arguably West Ham’s best player in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in midweek.

His reward for his best game in a claret and blue shirt? A place on the substitutes bench. Kevin Nolan returns from injury and what happens to him? Straight back in the side of course.

I totally understand the viewpoint that Carroll works better when he has someone working closely with him, but I think we’ve sent £15million down the drain if for the remainder of his career he has to play with Nolan to be effective.

3) What we have also learned, following the defeat to Crystal Palace, is that we probably still aren’t 100 per cent safe from relegation.

Palace have now moved six points above us, a deficit we are unlikely to bridge in the remainder of the season, and teams below the Hammers are starting to pick up points. Sunderland, Cardiff City and Fulham have all picked up unexpected points and the way we are playing at the moment, questions will linger as to where our next win is likely to come from.

4) After a fantastic February that saw us win four games on the trot and move into the safety of the top half of the Premier League, the Hammers have won just once in eight outings.

Following that good run, Allardyce was quick to point out that he fully expected us to be in that position with a full squad at his disposal. He also, during the run of the defeats at the beginning of the season, told West Ham fans to judge him when his injured stars were back and fully available. Well, they have been since February and not a lot has changed.

5) We also learned that Adrian is yet to save a penalty to West Ham. It’s not a criticism, really it’s not. It’s just he has been such a revelation between the sticks for the Hammers that you half expect him to get you out of jail when the opposition get a penalty. I’m sure the legend will get the next one.

6) West Ham fans are the best in the world. The Hammers faithful showed why we are more than just a football club following the tragic news of the death of Dylan Tombides.

Ever since the news broke, West Ham supporters have been expressing their sympathy to his family and friends and during the Palace game the applause before and then in the 38th minute was exemplary. He will always be part of the West Ham family.

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13 comments

  • Laurence Davidson says:

    1.When is Sam going to admit it’s his fault, yesterday he blamed the defeat on our defender for giving away a penalty, yet since Carol has been back and we have started hoofing again, we have lost and not scored many goals.
    2. No good striker will come to us when we play one man upfront and want to sit on the bench, and play 10 minutes a match.
    3. No loan players want to be bech players
    4. It’s all about money, so the board won’t sack Sam as finishing in the bottom half keeps us in Premiership for Olympic Stadium.

    West Ham fans have seen the Sam way and to be honest it’s not working, he has no plan B not really a plan A

  • ian says:

    Anyone that thinks allardyce is doing a good job is seriously deluded.Also I must say Alan shearer was a good footballer but a complete twat,his opinions of west ham fans amuse me he should stick to worrying about Newcastles dire perfomances.Gold & Sullivan grow a pair of bollocks and sack him ffs

  • rivieralet says:

    BFS and the porn twins are dragging our great club down the sewer . Terrible tactics with very average players and a stream of lies from the owners … it is a disgrace

  • rob says:

    the results say it all, great article and 100% correct, sooner sam goes the better, and as for the players, they should be sued for impersonating footballers…

  • Dave says:

    We allknow BFS is an average manager.
    The problem lies with him buying attacking players who have never scored goals.
    Downing and Jarvis are our two attacking options who should be supporting Carrol, but they have never scored goals in their careers.
    Nolan is now playing with his back to goal, rather than arriving late in the box, he is not a player who is any good with his back to goal.
    So we have three attacking players who, are completely inefective when supporting Carol.
    Our best attacking option (Morrison) was let out on laon, he had more goals than Jarvis and Downing put together in half the games.
    Thats the entire attacking options at our disposal.
    Also, Downing has played his career on the left, why now right?
    The other problem is the defence (full backs).
    Every team has fast attacking defenders at full backs, did you see Mccartney and if he had been fit o’brien. They have no attacking quality.
    Top teams use their full backs as strong attacking options at home, our two wide men have to play to deap to cover the lack of pace at full back.
    Sorry the new fella on loan(name forgets me), is to short, you could see Palace sussed that in the 1st 5mins, all team swill target our left back.
    So no pace / goals up front and a massive lack of pace at full backs.
    There lies the problems that sam’s transfer strategy has left us with.
    Also please sell Diame, laziest west ham player I have ever seen.

    • JB says:

      It’s all very well saying we need to bring good players in, but can we get them? that is the question, even Harry went through a stage of where he couldn’t get the players he needed at SPURS!!!, so if good players are knocking back clubs like Spurs, then sometimes we have to be gratefull for who Sam & the club have managed to get here. Sometimes a coach will spend his whole life time dreaming of signing a player such as Gareth Bale. Sir Alex was lucky to have signed & worked with Ronaldo. Any suggestions forthcoming in actually luring great players to come here are welcome!

    • JB says:

      Morrison was only loaned out in mid February, with an option included that he can be brought back from loan after 1 month out on loan, so he can be brought back at any time. We’ve all seen the flashes of brilliance that Diame can turn on, his cracking goal against Man Utd when he linked up with Demel last year was one of many examples. Sam does need to play Diame in the correct positions and roles, and of course he’s going to be lazy & his spirit down if he’s not being played the right way, and yes, I do agree that all the big clubs field teams that can dominate possesion football. Diame is a skillfull possession player. We have to use Diame & Morrison to play to their strengths & know how to get the best out of them. West Ham would be absolutely crazy to let those 2 go. Armero hasn’t done enough for me to be kept, neither has Nocerino. Don’t know about Boriello, have hardly seen him, so they can all go back to their clubs. You notice that Demel played in every one those games when West Ham kept 4 cleen sheerts in a row, & the moment he was taken off v Everton was when Everton scored. I can’t understand why Sam hasn’t been starting him in every game as of late, maybe he’s still getting his fitness back? For me, for all of the loanees we have, it is only Armero who’s impressed, so if we keep any of them, then the Columbian international is the 1 to keep. Michael Carrick, it seems, would OK to return. I really hope we are lucky enough to get Adam Johnson, can only hope eh? Yeah about another 5 players coming in would be great. Hopefully great possession players & Sam can be persuaded to return West Ham to short passing, possession play! 1 can only hope!

      • JB says:

        GET YOUR FACTS CORRECT GLENN. WE HAVE WON 2 OUT OF THE LAST 8, BEING 2-1 AT HOME V HULL & 1-2 AWAY AT SUNDERLAND, STARTING FROM A 1-0 LOSS AT EVERTON TO SATURDAYS HOME LOSS V PALACE. WE HAVE LOST THE LAST 3 GAMES. INCIDENTALLY, PLEASE CHECK, THAT THIS SEASON, WE HAVE NEVER LOST MORE THAN 3 PEMIER LEAGUE GAMES IN A ROW, THERE WAS EVERTON, STOKE & MAN UTD, & NOW LIVERPOOL & ARSENAL BEFORE PALACE. THAT’S IT. I DO THINK THAT SAM SOMETIMES PLAYS CERTAIN TEAMS A BIT TOO DEFENSIVELY, BUT THAT ALMOST PAID OFF WITH A POINT AGINST LIVERPOOL EH, ALSO, CHECK THE STATS ON SATURDAY’S GAME, WE HAD AROUND 65% POSSESSION FOR A CHANGE. WE JUST DIDN’T TAKE OUR CHANCES THAT’S ALL. THOSE CHANCES WILL HAPPEN IN THE NEXT GAME, WHERE AFTER 3 LOSSES, WE ARE DUE FOR A WIN!

  • beckton Geoff says:

    IM having a problem remembering a bigger low then im feeling right now as regarding supporting my West ham, one of my problem’s is BFS and his lack of respect for our club and it’s pest , i im aware that new manager’s bring in new ideas but his one dimensional style of play is not working for us and his hard on for AC and KN is a JOKE !! , for the first time in my history i am really not sure I want to which more off the same next season, so do i renew my season ticket or do i wait for the Prat to leave or be sacked ? , my heart say’s buy your ticket, but head says please no more of this shite he has got to go first before we renew, i agree with what you are saying Glenn and you to Laurence, but my heart and they f**king know this!! , my heart is West ham.

  • JB says:

    8 teams = Sunderland need 3 wins from 4, Cardiff need 3 wins from 3, Fulham need 3 wins from 3, Norwich need 2 wins from 3, West Brom need 2 wins from 5, Villa need 1 win from 4, Hull need 1 win from 4, Swansea need 1 win from 4. These teams all play each other, so it is impossible for them all, especially the bottom 4, to pick up the points required to go above West Ham. West Ham are safe!
    Having seem the way Norwich took Liverpool to the wire in only losing 2-3, & thinking back that West Ham beat Norwich 2-0 at Upton Park. The way Arsenal clinically destroyed Hull 0-3, & also how Everton tore Man Utd apart at Goodison, while we only lost 1-0 there, then for Sam Allardyce to have gained 10 wins from this league is fairly good going. This is a very tough league. We have done enough to belong in it, so any criticism & frustrations that I have displayed towards Sam, I’ll be curtailing from now on. It’s been a very very tough season & I am looking forward to the pressure off & Brazil 2014. COYI!

  • essexhammersfan says:

    what a fantastic article, truer words have never been said, Allardyce is clueless, he doesn’t and never has understood the philosophy of our football club, l’ve had my season ticket for 40 years….and this is the first time ever, l’ve seriously contemplated turning it in, if he’s still our manager next season.

  • Steveg says:

    Let’s remember….. We’re not the only supporters to have wanted Sam out of our club……it seems to follow him, wherever he manages.

  • JB says:

    Look, if Sam’s removal is what most fans really want, then just using this site as a sounding board is not going to remove him, no, the only thing that would help achieve that is direct action. For instance a protest rally outside of the administration office after the next home game, but you’d better hurry as there is only 1 more home game left. The same as, action was required if people really didn’t want the club to move out of & sell the Boleyn ground, but nothing was done. If people want action then they have to put boots on the ground, where it matters, like get in their faces. As I have said, I don’t know who you would find suitable to replace Sam with so I wouldn’t be taking part.

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