The relationship between West Ham fans and Sam Allardyce has at times been a fractious one.
It is one that gets pulled between appreciation and resentment, but with many holding an underlying level of respect towards the manager for his achievements.
That respect comes from the fact it has not really been a turbulent tenure under Allardyce. Sure, there have been bad results, poor spells and edgy moments, but immediate promotion followed by potentially two seasons of mid-table finishes in the Premier League is more stability than has been offered in previous seasons.
What comes from this though is not repetition of the debate into whether he should or should not be manager, but leads into a question about how far he can take the club, assuming his services will be retained.
The fact is there remain concerns from many sections about how he can realistically take the club forward.
Some say he has taken it as far as he can, and mid-table is the best he can achieve. He has made mistakes but he has also made some match winning decisions as well as making some really good signings. Little more, little less, than most managers in West Ham’s history.
Others say given the right backing by the board, and a bit of money, he could make steady progress every season, turning West Ham into a top eight side, capable of being competitive in both cup competitions while knocking on the door of Europe.
Certainly he does have a track record on building a team if given the time.
Bolton Wanderers’ record through the almost ten years Allardyce was involved with them makes for enviable reading.
The Trotters madethree semi-finals, going on to the League Cup final in the 2003-04 season.
They made Europe twice, and between 2003–04 and 2006–07, Bolton recorded consecutive top-eight finishes, a record of consistency over the same period bettered only by Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal.
Surely a record such as that would be welcomed by most West Ham fans, given the turmoil of the past decade.
A Bolton fan warned me about the transition away from Allardyce, saying it is difficult to change styles from ‘Sam’s way’ to a more aesthetically pleasing style. He has built a team to play his way.
And the stats show following his departure from his three previous teams, two were relegated the next season, and the other eventually followed suit and is now languishing in the Championship.
Any change needs to come because the owners want to move the club forward. There is a gulf between the top half and bottom half of the league, and as much as a change of manager may shorten that, it will need big investment and full backing to drive results.
Otherwise, Allardyce is the man for the job. He will keep the team ticking, have a degree of success with a degree of funding, and keep us in the Premier League. Lets not delude ourselves mid-table, the odd cup run, and maybe the odd dart in UEFA Cup is realistically all we will get.
And honestly, every West Ham fan can imagine, and has experienced, a lot worse.
WEST HAM HAVEN’T HAD A GOOD TEAM SINCE COTTEE AND MCAVENNE WERE UP FRONT ITS A SHAME
No further and even IF he could we don’t want him !! Never had a great relationship with us . Certainly not the man to take us to our new home. We want and deserve a bit of flair after 3 years of this drivel. If the owners want the fans renewing and wishing for the chance to get a season ticket then appoint someone new as soon as we are safe -for gods sake don’t let Sam have his mitts on our 2014/15 transfer budget