Recent events in the football world have got fans (and various club owners) thinking – just how long does one put up with a manager who isn’t getting the desired results, playing the strongest team, or adopting an attractive style of football?
While the most public (and publicised) case involved flying a banner over Old Trafford, the cries of “Allardyce Out” can be clearly heard on ground level around Upton Park.
The unsavory episode after the Hull City game seems to have put a renewed strain on things between Big Sam and the terraces.
And like with any other relationship, fighting with the other half in public is rarely helpful, and always embarrassing.
Sam Allardyce’s rapport with the Irons faithful has never been wholly rosy.
He got us up at the first time of asking, despite his criticism of “The West Ham Way”, and some late wobbles which resulted in missing out on automatic promotion.
Memories of promotion day at Wembley will certainly live long however, and in the first season back in the top division, the Hammers looked solid at the back, threatening from set-pieces and had the occasional flourish.
This season, following some poor luck with injuries, it hasn’t been quite the same situation, and things came to a head when not only did sections of the Boleyn boo the side off the pitch, but the manager stretched things further by cupping his ears at the fans in defiance.
The fans have never been backwards in coming forward about Allardyce’s tactics, especially when we get a few stinkers in a row.
But it often seems most of us are happy enough for him to set up the team to play his away as long as we are winning, or at least staying difficult to beat and keeping the scores respectable.
While recent outings at Everton and Stoke City, along with the Hull match at home, will not make anyone’s highlight reel, it does seem there are better ways of voicing concerns than booing our own side in front of the cameras.
The ‘West Ham Way’ may not be making its way onto the pitch at the moment, but unlike some other clubs – including Hull “Tigers” whom we beat before the boos – we know who we are and we need this to reflect in our public presence.
West Ham ’til we Die – even if the other half isn’t quite as pretty as it has been in the past.
How short some fans memories are, we were a complete and utter shambles under Avram Grant. Moral, organisation and good honest graft were nonexistant, Sam is not perfect, he does have weaknesess, but that said he has brought back what was missing from the team that played under AG. He has achieved what has been asked of him by the owners, and i for one am gratful for that.
In time with more money available to be spent on the team we should see a more fluid and inventive squad. COYI.
Dave, you are perfectly entitled to that view, but just one thing, what makes you think that if he were able to bring better players in the style of play and how negatively he sets us up would change because that has never been evident at any of his previous clubs. I thank him for getting us back to the top flight but time to move on, especially with the OS move looming.
Dave, I sympathise with you and share your common sense but, reason, understanding and seeing further than the end of your nose is NOT something that is shared by all. How many of these big shots have a clue about a business plan and a long term progressive view?
Usually these delusions are shared by the deluded, I’ve lost count of the people who wanted Fernandes to take over West Ham with his big ideas and supposed business nous!
Where is he now? and how much of a businessman has he proved to be? (-£67M at the last count).
I’m GLAD the right people are in charge of this club now, have stabilised it, are heading in the RIGHT direction………… and, DON’T listen to nonsense!
COYI
Allardyce is a useless one trick pony. I’m fed up with paying £44 for the privilege of seeing long balls pumped up to Carroll. The legacy left by Grenwood and Lyall has now been lost completely. West Ham has always been a special club to me but Allardyce, ably supported by the owners have driven us to boring mediocrity. I cannot see this changing under the current leadership and it is so depressing.
Good post mate! But However refreshing it was to hear a more reasoned take on the whole BS debate, it still doesn’t really matter, as all that is in the past and like this season can be largely written off! All that matters now is the future. I would say we are now entering the most exciting, not to mention the most important time in the clubs history. What we do in the next couple of years will put it simply, define our clubs history. We finally have the chance to step up and be a player in the prem! Or miss arguably our best and last chance not to be underachieving also rans! Whether or not you think BS should be our manager is irrelevant. He will be. All that matters is what he does with this time. For over the next two seasons it will be team he puts out, the style that that teams plays, the health of the club and how well the move to the OS has gone. On these matters shall BS be ultimately judged! COYI!
Under Sam, we’ll stay in the Prem. His style of football does not seem to be a problem with any of the other clubs, in fact he is highly respected by most managers. Sam knows how to play the table. He looks at it, sees where we are, and plays one game from the next according to our position. He’ll keep us mid table, or not far below it, or even above, as he did last year. Football is a business & he knows what it takes to keep us there. He has done an incredible job with the squad he has, and as Brendan Rogers will tell us, that Sam has in Andy Carroll, one of the best in Europe. Roy Hodgson would be absolutely crazy to leave Andy out of his squad for Brazil, as he also would to leave the best, being Frank Lampard, who even at 35, is the best, and John Terry & Ashley Cole in favour of some Southampton nobodies, and nowhere is where England will finish in Brazil if Roy turns to these nobodies, but back to West Ham, I think it’s about time we gave Sam the respect he deserves. If people can’t see the quality Sam has (he was even tipped for the England job at one stage) then they don’t deserve to be watching football. Why don’t people just shut up & let him run the club. I bet he’s had a gutfull as indeed most people have of all the hypothetical speculation. It’s damned right humiliating & also unwanted know nothing cholestorol, which sometimes hinders the lads performances on field. The lads who work & play for Sam want him. That’s good enough for me. They are all working and training together and know a damned sight more than we do, being on-site with him from day to day. I trust in them and our manager. Winning 6 & drawing 1 of our last 10 is damned good going. We need to know who we are, & where we are. We are not a big club, but we are in the Prem, thanks to Sam. If you don’t like it then piss off!! COYI!
Under Sam, we’ll stay in the Prem. His style of football does not seem to be a problem with any of the other clubs, in fact he is highly respected by most managers. Sam knows how to play the table. He looks at it, sees where we are, and plays one game from the next according to our position. He’ll keep us mid table, or not far below it, or even above, as he did last year. Football is a business & he knows what it takes to keep us there. He has done an incredible job with the squad he has, and as Brendan Rogers will tell us, that Sam has in Andy Carroll, one of the best in Europe. Roy Hodgson would be absolutely crazy to leave Andy out of his squad for Brazil, as he also would to leave the best, being Frank Lampard, who even at 35, is the best, and John Terry & Ashley Cole in favour of some Southampton nobodies, and nowhere is where England will finish in Brazil if Roy turns to these nobodies, but back to West Ham, I think it’s about time we gave Sam the respect he deserves. If people can’t see the quality Sam has (he was even tipped for the England job at one stage) then they don’t deserve to be watching football. Why don’t people just shut up & let him run the club. I bet he’s had a gutfull as indeed most people have of all the hypothetical speculation. It’s damned right humiliating & also unwanted know nothing cholestorol, which sometimes hinders the lads performances on field. The lads who work & play for Sam want him. That’s good enough for me. They are all working and training together and know a damned sight more than we do, being on-site with him from day to day. I trust in them and our manager. Winning 6 & drawing 1 of our last 10 is damned good going. We need to know who we are, & where we are. We are not a big club, but we are in the Prem, thanks to Sam. If you don’t like it then pi*s off!! COYI!
BFS is an odious self centred oik who has turned us from something special into just another hoof ball team. Our traditions of developing young talent has been crushed. Just reflect on his dispicable treatment of the Dev Squad against Forest. The fact that he announced himself by saying the West Ham way is not winning shows how little he understands about us. I’m not sure how much people that put results always over performance either really know what its all about. It is not normal for a manager to run down his contract. So, as I see it they either terminate it now or it gets renewed and extended. A frightening prospect. Seeing as the Davids are no doubt looking at the whole OS/ sale of Upton Park as a finacial play they will extend his contract with the prime objective of keeping us in the Prem so that a debt free premiership club in the world class stadium with significant crowd capacity represents an attractive buy oportunity for somebody. So i’m afraid it looks like there is more of the same sh*t to look forward to for a few more seasons yet. Enjoy all you Sam supporters.
I’ve been supporting West Ham since the 60’s, but under Avram Grant and Zola I saw some of the worst West Ham performances I have ever seen, on the back of Icelandic owners who all but bankrupted us. So what did we need to steady the ship, business savvy owners and an astute manager. We got both. Some people need to get rid of the rose tinted specs, it wasn’t always that good. Look at Leeds, Sheff Utd :), Bolton, Blackburn, Derby, Wolves – they dream of being where we are. Are we playing the way I would like, no, but I’ll take a bit of stability. And if G&S sell a going concern to someone who wants to invest, even if they make a profit, what’s the problem?
COYI.
There is an old saying,we have in England (GRASSHOPPER) YOU CAN NOT MAKE A SILK PURSE OUT OF A PIGS EAR.. He is doing his best out off what his got until we have got funds to buy more quality he is our man. Any true west ham fan would rather be in the prem playing shit football than be in the Championship.,Beating SPURS and drawing with CHELSEA that is the best you can hope for AT THE MOMENT..just because you buy a season ticket or buy a ticket for 40 or 50 pounds does not give you the right to boo a team that we love. If you don’t like it fuck off and go pay your money to SPURS OR CHELSEA …
You mean if we don’t agree with you and guess what , we are. See ya. Enjoy
expat hammer & KEL it truly gives me hope to know we have supporters that can stand up and tell it like it is……… Well said!
Some of our supporters are a reflection of todays society and world, where people have forgotten what steady progress is and demand EVERYTHING NOW with CAPS LOCK 🙂
For the type of deluded clueless supporters that we have, what would they be saying if they supported Arsenal who happen to be fourth in the table after being trounced by Everton? Wrist slitting time or no problem because they play pretty football?
The tail doesn’t wag the dog and for good reason!
I think defeat was a bit harsh on West Ham. Sam could not have asked any from his players, they were magnificent, they took liverpool to the wire, who just were able to fall over the line against us. Liverpool could not score any goals from open play, where as West Ham did. Liverpool also had to rely on the referee awarding 2 penalties for them. I have no problem with the 1st penalty, but i think the 2nd was a bit harsh and did rob us of 1 point. The referee gave AndyCarroll little protection as Lliverpool of ganged up on him and tried to put a straight jacket on him, but still he put a blinder of a header onto the cross bar. If liverpool become champions after this, then they should give credit to West Ham as we absolutely took them to the wire in almost restricting them to 1 point. Absolutely well played West Ham, you put in a magnificent performance & made Liverpool have to work really hard, and you kept their score down with them only being able to score on condition of the ref awarding penalties for them. On the back of that performance West Ham, you will win a lot more points before this season is out. Geez, i’m starting to feel sorry for Arsenal already. COYI!
KEEP THIS UP WEST HAM, AND IT’LL BE US WHO’LL BE WINNING THESE BIG GAMES NEXT SEASON!!!