In the wake of the news that Stewart Downing is set to be missing for several weeks with an achilles injury, it got me thinking has Sam Allardyce had rotten luck this season, or has his third season in charge of the East end club been poorly thought out?
From day one it was fairly obvious the plan for the season, and it seemed a pretty good one. Sign Andy Carroll, sign a decent winger, and watch Carroll head and kick the Hammers to glory.
Alas it wasn’t to be, Andy Carroll has yet to pull on the claret and blue shirt since signing on a permanent from Liverpool and the Hammers failed to think that maybe just maybe they needed to sign a back-up. It was obvious for everyone to see, especially with the news that Carroll was carrying a knock on arrival.
Allardyce and the board are desperately trying to cover themselves with the stories coming out that they tried to sign X number of players, but it wasn’t to be. What annoyed me about the whole summer fiasco was the way Sam and they board handled the back-up striker situation. Whoever was to come in knew they would be second fiddle to Carroll and should Andy return they would rot on the bench.
Salomon Kalou for example, was happy to join should the Irons allow him to play through the centre rather than the wing. Allardyce said no. He declined the move. Now let me ask you this, who would you rather who leading your line, Kalou or Modibo Maiga? I know who I’d rather have and it isn’t dear old Modibo.
So, from that perspective, the Dudley born man Allardyce is 100% at fault. To make it that abundantly obvious that any other striker that was interested in joining would be back-up, he immediately alienated the move.
However, you could also argue that he has also been a tad unlucky, Carroll was due back in September, but as we all know he suffered a setback with his injury (which can happen with these kinds of injuries). He then brought in a replacement on a free in Mladen Petric who impressed in his brief stint, before he picked up a knock, never to be seen or mentioned again.
Then of course the equally impressive Ricardo Vaz Te (the only other recognisable striker who was scoring goals) tried to tackle a post and lost. The Hammers are now left with the returning Carlton Cole, who to me still looks woefully unfit, and Modibo Maiga who hasn’t scored for a year.
It is easy to see why the goals have dried up.
Allardyce must have been grateful to see AC return to training, surely now his plan will come together. With Carroll just weeks away from a return, the Jarvis, Downing and Carroll partnership would lift the Hammers away from danger.
Cue two minutes into the contest at Anfield, West Ham’s best player by a mile in recent weeks collects the ball, only to be cynically hacked down by Jon Flanagan. The former Villa man makes it to half time, only to see the true extent of the injury; he required 12 stitches to his achilles and is now set to miss several key weeks for the Hammers.
The footballing gods really aren’t with Sam Allardyce and West Ham at the minute, and with rumours circulating that a defeat on Saturday against Sunderland could see the end of Big Sam. Will Allardyce ever get to see his dream trio in action?
Only time will tell.
Come on you Irons!
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The problem with him Is he won’t learn from his mistakes because hes either too stupid or too stuburn too admit it. always finding excuses to deflect the blame, one of the reasons the fans don’t like him. Only he knows why we use outdated tactics, only buy over the top 30 year olds, won’t drop out of form players and play others out of position to accomadate them. To me he has badly managed our club for the past 9 months at least and I can’t see where all this optomism is that he is suddenly going to turn it around. We have lost to most of the teams around us, and unless we suddenly become better against manure and the goons we will be bottom 3. I for one will not be sorry to see him go.
I totally agree with both of you, i can not believe that gold and the hobbit are letting this happen to our YES OUR !! west ham United.
Sam had a great first two years. Professional, he brought stability to the club post Avram and the freefall we were in. However, his and/or the Board’s decisions to commit the majority of funds on Carroll was always a huge risk. How many posts on how many sites argued whether we should be spending our money on a very very but very injury prone player. Not only injury prone but somebody who seems to need a good half dozen games to become effective. If we had got a half decent second striker, it would have been forgiveable but we have been left with panic stricken efforts to get in players who have has no pre season and are more injury prone because of this (Petric). We should always be grateful for G&S for solving our clubs financial problems but they have tried to get away with modest spends this season and paid the price. This feels so much like roeders second season, a decent team, a small squad and no fit strikers, losing games when playing well. We need to spend money on a FIT and effective striker in January and let AC get fit in his own time and see if he can displace the new guy.
Well it’s not looking like the owners are going to sack Sam, but at least there’s some positive activity on bringing in some players on loan from the MLS. This still leaves West Ham with having to get through at least the next 5 Premier League games, 1 League Cup game & 1 FA Cup game with just the 18 existing available players, with Nolan returning for the match v Arsenal, being: Jääskeläinen, Demel, McCartney, Noble, Collins, Tomkins, J. Cole, Morrison, Diamé, C. Cole, Jarvis, Adrián, Rat, O’Brien, Taylor, Maiga, Diarra, Collison.
How many points do you think these lads can win for us until after the game at Craven Cottage on 1st January? With a bit of luck we may have Oba Martins & Clint Dempsey from Seattle Sounders &/or others after that, but it’s how many points we’ll have to make up in the remaining 18 games that is the concern! I have to say that if we only have a total of 16 pts after the next 4 or 5, then we are gone. I mean miracles could happen & we win the next 4 games on the trot, but I can’t see that happening, be great if it did though. To be a bit fair on Sam, a lot of players just don’t want to come to East London and West Ham, especially with the pressure on. There are a lot of good players out there but sometimes you just can’t get them!
http://www.sounderatheart.com/sounders-trades-transfers-rumors/2013/12/10/5198604/report-west-ham-linked-to-oba-martins-loan
West Ham linked to Oba Martins Loan
BFS and the porn twins are dragging the club down . We have nobody in our team apart from Ravel that would get in any other Prem clubs starting 11. We keep picking Noble, Nolan , Tomkins , Jarvis when they have one bad game after another. Carrol cannot save us when he hasnt played for 6 months especially with this dross behind him .
Whu is run by football fans not business Men who now about football . Bfs is living off last years Chelsea game and the spurs game . How about the other 40 games. Nolan is the worst prem player by far , having no Andy c have-highlighted his short comings by not getting his tap ins.Poor player which the whole team is picked around, diame left wing? Cole on the bench? Ravel not playing the 10 role? As for not getting a back up striker incase ac got injured is un excusable. Why set up your whole team for a big man with no back up.kevin fucking Davies would of been handy.He has to go but the two ronnies won’t sack him.by Christmas we will be second from bottom .These are not my opinions but are all facts any Nolan and bds fans should go to the doctors ASAP