West Ham fans are acting spoilt

I’m ready to unleash my unpopular opinion!

West Ham fans are acting spoilt.

West Ham’s relegation history – 1931/32, 1977/78, 1988/89, 1991/92, 2002/03, 2010/11.

The Hammers have hardly had the easiest of rides as a Championship/ Premier League team and periods of stability should be praised. Relatively speaking I haven’t been a West Ham fan for as long as the majority but I’ve already witnessed two relegations and three subsequent second-tier campaigns.

Sam Allardyce took over in 2011 following in the woeful footsteps of Avram Grant. West Ham had a successful Championship campaign and marginally missed out of automatic promotion by two points and the Championship by three.

West Ham then cruised by Cardiff City, 5-0 to make it to the Play-off final where a harder test against Blackpool awaited. West Ham won promotion late-on through Ricardo Vaz Te’s close finish. Next up for Big Sam was his first test of Premier League life with West Ham. A comfortable season for West Ham led them to a 10th place finish whilst the winner of the Championship in the previous season Reading, were relegated. The Hammers also finished five points above Southampton (fellow promoted side). Another extremely successful season, with no relegation battle to be had.

We now arrive to the current season, a relegation battle which certainly involved West Ham for the most part, seemingly quashed post-February. Big Sam has been under pressure from the West Ham fans for his brand of football and lack of entertainment. An undeniably poor season, but seemingly and most importantly another season in the Premier League to follow, ahead of the imminent move to the Olympic Stadium.

There have been petitions to get Big Sam out of West Ham, various polls and even a Twitter profile dedicated to all things anti-Sam. Rather ridiculous really. This season hasn’t gone to plan, granted. But West Ham’s luck hasn’t been in full swing either. So many of the West Ham fans who claim to be missing “the West Ham way” will have witnessed five of West Ham’s six relegations from the top division. Regardless of this fact, they all want Big Sam out. There was a period of silence during February but West Ham’s form has dropped again and the pressure is building once again.

The fact of the matter is: Sunderland, Fulham, and Cardiff City (current bottom three) would all take Big Sam in a heartbeat, as he gets results. Big Sam always has done and always will do. He’s doing his job of keeping West Ham in the top flight, it’s what he was hired to do. If you were fired from your job for not doing what you were supposed to do with enough panache. Any blame for being unhappy with what you’re watching should be aimed at the Chairmen, not Big Sam. Then again, how can you blame them? They are business men who want a manager to secure Premier League safety whilst their master plan of a new stadium grows ever closer. They certainly do not want unpredictable entertainment, and that’s something the fans have to live with, for now. No manager lasts forever, there is always a change. Just be patient, and rejoice in being on Match of the Day, and many other positives of being in the top flight.

With a bit more fortune next season, we will all enjoy a more successful season, there’s no doubting that. West Ham fans are acting spoilt in believing that they deserve better – why? We have never been the cream of the crop and baring a cash injection of Man City proportions, that isn’t going to change anytime soon. Big Sam is doing his job, who was hired by the Chairmen. A successful partnership so far and West Ham are strengthening at the core. It’s a slowly-but-surely process.