This is a big season for Sam Allardyce. On the one hand, his preferred style of play is hardly in the West Ham mould and produced some moments of horror last term. On the other, though, under his guidance, the Hammers may have established themselves as a Premier League side.
Allardyce is the sort of manager who is always going to divide opinion. What will be of greater concern to him, though, will be the heavily qualified backing that he was given by the board at the end of last season. The statement released by the club called for “progression,” “more entertainment” and pledged to impose an attacking coach on Allardyce. It’s one thing when the fans rightly vent their frustration over poor performances. It’s quite another when your employer effectively gives you a very public final warning.
And all of this after what proved to be a fairly comfortable thirteenth place finish in the end. There were certainly highlights to the campaign – Three victories against Spurs topped the bill and then there was the early season form of Ravel Morrison. However, the fact that the maverick midfielder was soon shipped out on loan to QPR revealed Allardyce’s shortcomings. And then of course there were the farcical displays – Defeat against Fulham followed by cup humiliations against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City was just about the nadir. In short, there is plenty of room for improvement. The question is, can Allardyce deliver?
He is certainly going to need to strengthen his squad. Allardyce’s track record in the transfer market is chequered at best and perhaps it’s no surprise that the board have pledged to take a more active role in transfer dealings.
They have certainly done plenty of early business. Argentine forward Mauro Zarate provides some much needed ammunition to the strike force, which clearly cannot rely solely on the injury-prone Andy Carroll. Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate has also arrived along with Ipswich Town’s seemingly reliable left-back Aaron Cresswell. Hardly blockbuster signings, but they could all prove to be valuable additions.
What will be just as intriguing is to see how tolerant Allardyce is of a board-led transfer policy. He has always appeared to be very much his own man, so it will be interesting to see exactly how cooperative Allardyce proves to be. The odds on Allardyce staying at Upton Park beyond Christmas will likely rest upon his relations with the board as much as it does upon results on the pitch.
Albeit forming a reliable backbone to the starting eleven with players like James Tomkins, Kevin Nolan, Momo Diame and most importantly perhaps Mark Noble, the Premier League is enormously competitive and we can expect others to improve this time round.
Sunderland’s great escape could prove to be the springboard for mid-table safety, while Hull City are spending big. On the other hand, some teams clearly over-achieved last season. Although not the most obvious and direct rivals of West Ham, the media is buzzing over speculations on how Liverpool, one of the most successful clubs in England, will fare without Luis Suarez. Years of misconduct and appalling behaviour whilst playing for Liverpool (including biting Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic in an April 2013 Premier League match and racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra in December 2011) have finally taken their toll.
Suarez’s infamous behaviour grew so notorious that over 100 people have actually cashed in on a pre-world cup bet, predicting that he would bite someone during the World Cup! Whilst Suarez’s transfer to Barcelona has most likely rid Liverpool of embarrassing scandals in the future, the truth is that professionally speaking, Brendan Rodgers relied heavily on the Uruguayan striker, building the team around him and customizing playing strategy to bring out the best of Suarez’s capabilities. Suarez’s move to Barcelona means that Liverpool will have to reform and build a team based on collective talent instead of focusing on one superstar. Other West Ham rivals are also experiencing some difficulties; Southampton are obviously weakened by the summer exit from St Mary’s while Crystal Palace may struggle to reach the same heights as last term.
Either way, next season is a big one at Upton Park. If it’s a season of struggle, then the consequences may be serious. On the other hand, a season of consolidation coupled with a decent cup run would guarantee not only Allardyce’s job, but West Ham’s status as Premier League regulars.
