It is quite clear to see as a West Ham fan that Big Sam Allardyce quite simply has no ‘Plan B’.
Despite trying new tactics (5-3-2)/3-5-2) against Manchester United in the FA Cup replay it seems we will be sticking to the same negative 4-5-1 that we have used throughout the season. I personally thought we played incredibly well against the best side in the league and didn’t deserve to lose. Despite this, it doesn’t look like Big Sam is willing to budge when it comes to his tactics.
What really bothers me is when we went 2,3 and then 4 goals down against Arsenal and still nothing is changed or when we were drawing at home to QPR and Big Sam gave Ricardo Vaz Te 2 minutes to make a difference. Against lesser teams, especially at home, I find it aggravating that we don’t change it up at all. If we want more goals, we will have to give our strikers some support and with Big Sam’s ‘Plan A’ they just don’t get it.
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An argument against the need for an alternative tactical make-up is that we had a good start to the season and we are just in a lull because of injuries. I understand that point of view but at the same time, I don’t agree.
Our problems started with Mohamed Diame’s injury, the collapse against Liverpool after he went off proves that. My view is that Diame’s quality has masked the underlying problem, which is Big Sam’s lack of a ‘Plan B’. Sometimes Plan A works, against Fulham we were fantastic but losses against both Reading and Wigan were just not good enough. We were woeful, created nothing and both were dire football matches to watch. In those games we needed something to liven us up and improve the performance.
When ‘Plan A’ isn’t working (which it often hasn’t this season) Big Sam refuses to change things up and that has hindered us. We now have 6 strikers in the squad yet at any given time only one will be playing up front. We signed 2 strikers in the summer and have gone out and got a further 2 in January, if there is one question I would love to ask Sam it is why, when you refuse to use more than one, would you continue buying strikers?
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With 6 strikers in the squad we need to be playing more than 1. The formation used against Man Utd worked very well and with the addition of someone like Blackburn Rovers’ Martin Olsson we would have a fantastic back 3 with 2 classy wing backs in Olsson and Guy Demel or even Jordan Spence. If we used that against lesser sides we would be much better off due to having 2 strikers, or at least if we switched to it when Plan A isn’t working.
Many fans blame the strikers for lack of effort or just being rubbish when in truth it is the system that is the cause for the lack of goals. We need goals if we are to get results and unless our front men get support we won’t get the goals we need. We are too negative and it seems the only alternative to ‘Plan A’ is ‘Plan A’ set to all-out attack, anyone who watched the QPR game should understand what I mean and that is atrocious management in my opinion. You have to be diverse to succeed in the Premier League and currently we are as far away from that as possible.
To get goals regularly our strikers need to be confident; Carlton Cole has been told he can leave, Vaz Te is constantly played in midfield despite scoring 24 goals last season,Marouane Chamakh is low on confidence in general, Wellington Paulista hasn’t even been on the bench and Maiga is never given a chance and rumoured to be on his way out. That is the state of our strikers currently aside from Carroll who is Big Sam’s favourite.
Unless he finds and starts using a ‘Plan B’ that involves more than one striker, we won’t get a regular goal scorer and that is the root of our problem. The lack of confidence in the strike force stems from Big Sams lack of diversity as a manager and that is precisely what has caused our poor run of form.
Everyone at West Ham needs to be accountable for when we play poorly but it seems some fans are unwilling to accept that Big Sam’s relentless use of his ‘Plan A’ has held us back. A tactical change involving 2 strikers, especially against lesser teams, will improve our performances and results whilst helping us gain a regular goal scorer or maybe 2 and that is precisely what we need to be a more successful team in the league. Avoiding relegation is our only aim this season and we are 12th currently but I would be lying if I said I thought we were well on our way to achieving that goal with our current system.
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See where the last man who slagged me off is now ??
I’m here ?
I think you also need to add BFS’s insistence on playing Kevin Nolan come whatever, the skipper is clearly out of sorts and if anyone needed resting against Arsenal it was him. To play a second striker BFS needs to drop Nolan and as that isn’t going to happen anytime soon
I was going to mate but the article was already long enough. I totally agree with you. In my opinion he is a good captain but can’t cut it in the PL for 90 mins week in week out anymore.
The fact that he plays Nolan and Vaz Te come what may shows a lack of real management. Nolan has been a passenger for months now and im sick of saying it. He just does nothing of real meaning while Vaz te has got to be the laziest player ever to pull on a Hammers shirt. We have some young and hungry players desperate for a chance but its the same old faces week after week.
You are right about Nolan but not about Vaz Te. Vaz scored 12 goals in 16 games for us last season, this season does he play up front? No. He is played in midfield, he comes across as lazy but he is played completely out of position. And Vaz doesn’t get in the team come what may like Nolan does. Jarvis and Nolan get in come what may yet both are useless, Nolan more useless than Jarvis.
Speechless
Could you elaborate?
So am I, Anne…… So am I!
PDC for manager please, northern monkey not wanted at West Ham by this cockney.
I don’t think Di Canio has the experience, but he will soon, especially if Swindon go up and spend a term in the Championship. He would be awesome though.
I think you guys need to remember we nearly became the next Pompey what ever I think the Davids and SA have staved of disaster and got us promoted on a shoestring in premier league terms. Whilst he is our manager get behind him we aint been great but could have got points in two or three games that would have made us more comfatable. James Collins has cost us against Swansea, Sunderland and Reading with stupid errors but no one is on his back. COYI and bye the way BS is from Dudley not up north.
Is Dudley north of Watford ? if so he’s a northern monkey
never wanted fat sam at the club we lose against arsenal he blames the team,why were our best players on the bench when we had no game saturday, why does he keep buying strikers when he keeps getting rid of them,all sam wants his abig man up front,he has not got a clue how to play two strikers,but the the two davids are not stupid i dont think they will be renewing his contract,hopefully not,new manager please.
This site is getting worse by the day, Sam has a team of average players that are somewhere between the championship level and PL level and we are middle of the table. What he has done with them is nothing short of a miracle. This season was always about consolidating in the premier league which is what he is trying to do. If you think that he is useless perhaps you should welcome back Grant or Roeder who liked an expansive game, there plan B was if we went 1 – 0 down quietly capitulate.
It is in no way a miracle what Big Sam has done. He inherited a side that wasn’t far off PL quality, then chose to waste money on Jarvis. He also bought Maiga who is a quality striker and then chooses to never give him a chance. If you think what he has done is a miracle then so be it but pointing out that Roeder and Grant were rubbish doesn’t mean Big Sam is good. We have the 3rd worst form in the league, relegation is not as far away as you think mate.
Hugh if you think the players we have are / were premier league standard then why were they relegated so appallingly ? They are average players who in some cases are better than championship quality, we have a few premiership level players and quite a few grafters who are making the most of their ability. If we could sign Samba which we should try to do then you would see the gulf in class between him and the grafters. With the players we have if we stay up this season it will be one of the all time great management achievements. This lot need to grow a spine fast, I am confident that Sam will do everything possible to ensure they dig deep and get us the points we need, realistically 4 more wins should keep us up.
Sorry mate but I don’t agree. I think we have a mid-table class squad. We got relegated because of the management and the squad has changed since we got relegated too. I hope your right about Big Sam but I expected to stay up and don’t think it will be a miracle if he keeps us up. I think you are being very unfair on the squad we have to suggest that it will be a miracle to stay up.