With the successful completion of the 2012-2013 season in the Premier League, West Ham United would’ve spent 18 years in the Premier League but how does Sam Allardyce’s management of the club rank against many of our other managers.
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Under Sam Allardyce, so far and as it looks as though we’ll be playing Premier League football in 2014 so this has been a successful season. In my opinion, this year has been one of the better years for the Hammers in the Premier League, simply because of the speed of a recovery to our most previous year in the Premier League.
In 2011, Sam was picking up the pieces after a dreary campaign, which had culminated from the Icelandic ownership that started in 2007. The impact of his first season in charge of the club has to be seen as one of his major successes with the club. We can see how hard it is to bounce straight back up to the Premier League from the Championship in the failed attempts of Bolton, Wolves and Blackburn. Despite Bolton turning their season around, Wolves and Blackburn are at serious risk of a double relegation. Sam Allardyce not only saw us promoted, but has secured our position brilliantly. Even with the post-December slump we faced, the side has consolidated well.
In my own opinion, the best part of the season and the most rewarding is to have a positive atmosphere at Upton Park again. For too long we feared the ‘bigger teams’ coming to the Boleyn. The former trepidation has gone; a renewed feeling of stubbornness about the team is clearly evident. To add to this, the return of Joe Cole and the lure of bringing a class act like Andy Carroll to the club have buoyed the team and the fans. Sam’s tenancy has been superb, but can it beat the success of Redknapp, Pardew or Curbishley?
All three of the above managers had special times at the club. Redknapp saw the Di Canio era with the success of the youth cup in 1999. Following on from that was the influx of many great youth prospects. Cole, Ferdinand, Carrick and Lampard were part of his great legacy. Pardew took the club from the Championship to the F.A Cup final, and Curbishley saved us from impending doom and saw over the legendary two months of Carlos Tevez’s West Ham career.
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In my own opinion, Harry Redknapp was a great servant for the club and I find it hard to understand why so many West Ham fans have such anger and hate for Harry Redknapp. In his management he brought through some great English talents and players who are now, or were regulars for England. He made great signings and without Harry Redknapp, there would have been no Di Canio or the impact that the youth players had in that team. Lampard and Ferdinand were some of the most talented youth players in the country, and they all were regulars in a Harry Redknapp side. He made flawed signings, Boogers and Futre to name a few, but what manager has made good signings all the time?
The next manager I question, as to who has been the most successful West Ham Premier League manager, is Alan Pardew and he brought back the great times of being a West Ham fan. We were a side with Championship players and with journeymen footballers and took them to become a top half side with a cup final. The team spirit was so evident and it was heartwarming to watch us gel in that way and get the win at Highbury and the win over Tottenham in the ‘Lasagna’ plagued game. His impact was somewhat limited by his failings in his second year, but that is where Curbishley comes into reckoning. Curbishley saw the great escape through and then consolidated our position in the league, had it not been for the incompetence of the Icelandic owners and the fact that they nearly took us to administration, his time at the club would have been longer.
In my opinion, Allardyce has a long way to go to match some of these managers, but he has the chance if he can see us through to Stratford with the success that the club desires.
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1. Big Sam took this club over after a MELTDOWN that could have seen this club tailspin out of existence!
2. To gain promotion the way he did was nothing short of a miracle, Big Sam ably supported by the chairmen, he maximised the available funds (whilst all the rats left the sinking ship) like a magician. Creatively using players known to him that could do a job along with a little wheeling and dealing.
3. Wonder why not many supporters don’t like redknapp? Probably because like me they can see through him, Mr rent-a-quote with verbal diarrhea, always undermining the club and players by talking about the value of players and what they would be available at. I give him credit for the team he built and Tony Carr for bringing on a great batch of youngsters that harry was lucky enough to have at his disposal.
Personally when Big Sam has the funds available to him, I believe his team will be better than redknapp’s as Big Sam’s teams have character and won’t crumble easily. But give him the TIME that redknapp had and he will prove it as well as lay strong foundations of stability and progression which all the top teams need.
Ron greenwood. John lyall. For me
Think your getting a bit too carried away ‘The cat’, Allardcye still had one of the best squads in the championship with a high wage bill and he spent around £7million which i would not say is a small budget for a championship club, yes he did well to get us promoted but i wouldnt say we were in a meltdown and were highly fancied to get back up so it was far from a miracle, as we were meant to be good enough for automatic promotion. Also this season he has spent around £20million on new players and about £7million of that money was used on players that are not played (maiga and diarra). Big sam has done a good job but he is not what your making him out to be.
When you say best squads mr bean what is best?
When you factor in that to assemble a squad is one thing and to build a team is quite another? He had to bring in an assortment of players apart from Nolan, not really TOP players. Then you have the background of ALL those championship teams fancy bring the latest big time charlies to drop into the championship down to earth…. you have a mammoth task on your hands.
Some of our supporters, seem to forget where we were and think that we have a right to play in the premiership.
Oh, and by the way it was always FACT that we would have to spend money to retain our premiership status and the figures you have quoted still doesn’t come up to the spending of a team like qpr.
DON’T be shy, give credit where its due!!!
Bring an assortment of players in? Have you seen our squad last season and this? Last season our lineup for most games included green, tomkins, reid, Noble, O’neil(last 10-15), Cole, Faubert, Collison. True he bought a fair amount of players in but looking through them all only Taylor, Nolan, Faye, O’Brien, Linda and vaz te had any run of games during the season. This season we bought fewer players but game them a run of games Carroll, Jarvis, Jussi, Diame and Collins. Look it at that way and also notice how some of our best players last season and this season were Noble, Tomkins and Reid and at times collison, 4 players who where here the season we got relegated have become 4 of our best players.
Anyway mr bean, I’d like to hear your views on the article above that I took time to comment on, and maybe I can pick up on any constructive points that you have or might make!
Way off tune if you think money is the equal to success in the Championship. Look at Leicester! Allardyce is doing marvelous. Home form hasn’t been so good for many years. The Cat got it all bang on. Especially the snake Redknapp
Enough of this,he’s going to be our manager for a least 3 more years,he should,and deserves,to get all our support, in Big sam WE TRUST. coyi
Ive felt more confident watching the hammers under Allardyce. Even when we go one down I believe this team can get back in it. Can’t remember when I felt like that in the PL. ps weds night v Man U was in the east stand and felt so proud of the teams display. Job to tell which team were 15 clear at the top that night!