Despite constant reassurance from the owners throughout the season, it cannot be denied that much of the frustration and discontent from the Hammers’ supporters over the past nine months or so stems back to the man in charge, Sam Allardyce.
Football fans in general can be the most fickle in sport, and I for one have been guilty of assuming that as soon as we string a couple of wins together, we have turned a corner, especially now Big Sam has a nigh on fully fit squad at his disposable. A squad, can I remind you, that he insisted he must not be judged on until completely available to him.
I must admit that, if I’d had my way, and an ideal replacement was guaranteed, then Sam would have been gone a long while ago, preferably before the January transfer window so that his successor had the best chance of strengthening the squad in the limited time available to him.
Despite this, however, the decision to sack our manager mid-season could have proven inspired as shown by Tony Pulis and Crystal Palace, as easily as it could have proven disastrous, demonstrated by Gus Poyet and Sunderland, who despite a couple of fantastic recent results, find themselves rooted to the bottom of the table with four games to play.
Narrowing the problems down, I believe there are three key issues that supporters have with the current boss: his transfer dealings, his painfully dull tactics and his general attitude and stubbornness towards the fans and the club.
Firstly, the decision to sign Andy Carroll for a club record £15million was undoubtedly a decision that was bound to turn supporters’ heads, whether it was for the right or wrong reasons.
Signing an England international for such a high transfer fee was seen by many as a statement of intent and left fans with the hope that similar high-profile acquisitions would follow. Despite this, however, during his time in East London Carroll has had a torrid time with injury, making just 12 appearances since his permanent transfer in 2013, and according to Allardyce, is still not ‘100 per cent’ fit. This has led to much criticism of the board and the manager, with many fans believing that the club was foolish to spend such a large amount of our transfer budget on one signing, and supposedly ‘put all our eggs in one basket’.
This leads me on to Allardyce’s tactics that the West Ham support have become all too familiar with. Whether you’re a fan of the manager or not, it cannot be argued that his route one tactics are absolutely mind-numbing and it is these tactics that have turned many supporters away from the club, insisting they spend too much money week in week out to justify going to watch the monotonous football he serves up.
Many hold the argument that despite the criticism, his tactics are effective and ‘get results’, however, after this season, I’m not completely sure if that is the case anymore. Under Allardyce this season we have become incredibly predictable, and it almost seems as if the very moment Andy Carroll is available for selection the manager abandons any mildly skilful approach to win a football match, in favour of hitting long balls up to the striker. Putting supposed behind the scenes trouble aside, it’s unsurprising that the most technically gifted player we’ve had at the club for a long time, Ravel Morrison wanted to go out on loan, after having to watch the ball fly over his head for ninety minutes every week whilst he was with us.
Last, but certainly not least, it is Allardyce’s attitude and stubbornness this season which has aggravated large sections of supporters. Strangely, the 3-0 win away at Spurs may well have been the worst thing that happened to us this season, as it led ‘Allardici’ into a false hope that his 4-6-0 formation was suitable to continue using week in week out in order to get results. Well, funnily enough, Sam, it wasn’t, and instead made us extremely predictable and following those three points, we claimed just a single win from our next thirteen league matches.
If all of the above wasn’t enough, Allardyce’s attitude towards the fans has made them further resentful of him, calling the supporters ‘deluded’ and the ear cupping gesture after the undeserved victory at home to Hull City are two incidents that stick out in my mind. Sam’s stubbornness has also infuriated the Hammers faithful this year, with many, including myself, being left frustrated at the fact that he refuses to come out and say that his tactics were, and are ineffective, and instead chooses to remind the media about our clean sheet stats which despite being largely important to the points we have picked up this season, are not going to get the crowd overwhelmed and ultimately, get him the backing he needs from the stands.
Sam Allardyce to his credit, however, has done what has been asked of him on paper thus far: Gained us promotion to the Premier League at the first time of asking, and turned us into a stable top flight side once more, for the time being at least, and I thank him for that. However, I cannot for the life of me see any real progression going on under the current boss, and I struggle to see any progression happening under him in the future, and for these reasons along with the reasons stated earlier I would not be displeased to see Allardyce and West Ham part ways come the end of the season.
Despite this, with one year left to the run on his current contract that he extended in 2013, I cannot see him stepping down in the same way I cannot see the board sacking him, and I think we may have to endure another year of drab, dull football before any serious changes in management are made.
I don’t understand “the fans” I watch west ham and I grew up with the hammers, I was born in east ham and until I moved to Cambridgeshire watched them almost every week.
Sam can’t win, fans bang on about the “West Ham Way” well in the last 5 years or so pre Sam all we did was lose and just scrape avoiding relegation, what do the fans honestly want? We are not Spain or Chelsea nor do we have their money , would the fans honestly pay to watch tip tap pretty passing football and lose week in week out and get relegated? Or watch hard drawn out matches were we don’t get dragged into relegation? I know which I prefer, other fans and teams jeer because we are hard to beat and because they are jealous. Michael laudrop? Lovely football sacked because Swansea get beaten. Man utd the same. Stop whinging and start supporting, without the manager we are relegation fodder FACT!! This will prove true if the owners lose allardyce. Just watch.
Nathan, can’t agree with you on some of the points you make.
1) “we are not Spain or Chelsea nor do we have their money” – it’s a falasy to suggest that only teams with a large bank balance can play attractive football, Swansea under Rogers? Southampton, under Atkins? even Stoke under Hughes are starting to play better football than us ffs.
2) “Stop whinging and start supporting” – I also live up near Cambridge, but I have never stopped supporting them “live” spending what must be tens of thousands over the years, on season tickets and travelling in this country and abroad to watch the team. While I would never boo the team I do have every right to express an opinion without having my support called into question.
Finally your point about Moyes getting sacked at Man Utd misses the point, this season under Moyes Man Utd have played some of the most negative and defensive football that Man U have ever played, this was highlighted all too painfully for many of their fans by the way that Everton were able to take them apart with ease playing an expansive game that Evertonians never saw under Moyes.
Btw – I’m not trying to be funny but if you should want a lift down to games more than happy to give you one when we have a space?
You don’t have to play shite football to retain PL status – FACT
In the 22 years of the PL we have only been out of it for 4 seasons (inc. the 1st) – FACT.
Sam’s win % does not outshine any of our managers ever (with the exception of Zola, who never managed in the lower division) – FACT
In case you hadn’t noticed, we are in a relegation fight – FACT.
Moyes played boring shite football – FACT.
The first part of the penultimate paragraph sums it all up. The football has been dire but with the brief to get up at the first time of asking followed by staying in the league it has been mission accomplished. If we do replace Allardyce and we have the Poyet scenario rather than the Pulis effect we face the prospect of moving to the OS as a Championship club.
Whilst the football has not been good this year, and the reasons why can be argued ad nauseam, as a club it has generally been dire for a fair number of years. A few good games together with bad games.
If Allardyce does go at the end of the season who are realistic options to replace him? I can see names like Moyes, Bilic, Mackay and Pardew being touted by the fans but will the board go with one of those? If someone like Pulis had been appointed as a replacement West Ham forums everywhere would have gone into meltdown with fans crying foul.
We need stability for a period of time and whilst not ideal is it better the devil you know. More considered transfers and a Plan B would be good. Perhaps a PR course for Allardyce would be useful as well.
I do wonder what most fans wanted at the start of the season and compare it to where we are now? Would must have settled for mid-table (ish) and a cup run?
I really do wonder if ALL clubs have a section of supporters like us? To be perfectly honest I know they do but it still surprises me that some people have little or no memory and cannot understand:-
1. Where we are as opposed to where we were as a club (just a few short years ago).
2. We are moving to a new BIGGER stadium, to get LARGER crowds, to FUND transfers, to get BETTER players so that this club can be moved FORWARDS.
3. Are any of our younger supporters aware of who Terrance Brown is? or what he stood for?
4. The same people who call for the managers head, will be there again calling for the NEXT managers head and so on, but they always remain faceless and DON’T have to justify the hiring of a manager that they THOUGHT could do a job for the club. Trusted to spend large sums of money to get us somewhere, but instead takes us down & financially ruins the club.
5. It’s all well and good spouting nonsense but I remember (as far back) as a few years ago where people were saying they preferred Fernandes as chairman of West Ham. I confess to not knowing too much about him. But I listened to the Davids and read a load of Fernandes’s mouth watering tweets (heard them before from Eggy & thought they were nonsense). I plumbed for the Davids to come in as chairmen which I’m glad that they did, as they have been upfront with the supporters and are looking to move this club forward on a major scale. Fernandes? for all his talk, he took QPR down and has managed to saddle them with debt (£67M at the last count). WHAT do some of the people who support this club want???
6. Big Sam (Vastly experienced manager….FACT), has had to cut his cloth accordingly to achieve the remit of promotion & safety before (slowly) getting the funds to improve the playing squad we have at the club (and with an improvement of players….. will naturally come better football). I’ll be the first to admit the football hasn’t been fantastic & Big Sam has naturally made mistakes as ANY manager does, but with the meagre budget he’s had to improve the squad with (not to criticise the chairmen) it hasn’t been easy, especially being gazumped, which happened a fair bit due to finances (Do many remember this small fact?). This is the difficult (2nd) season that I believe once we get through it, will see this club moving forward rapidly.
7. Once we are mathematically safe do I see us being in the same position next season or playing as badly as we did for the most part this season???…..Its a simple NO! Big Sam will fix the deficiencies that we had this season with our lack of creativity & potency and will not want to be in the same position ever again. Thats what separates managers of experience from novice managers.
8. Where are the supporters who were calling for Chris Hughton as manager over Big Sam???
Would they have wanted him sacked at the first sign of trouble? What about the signings he would have made…. Would the new manager have wanted to keep those players or would he have wanted to buy his own players? Would the next manager have had much of a budget to GET the players that he wanted???………and so on and so on.
9. You could be Mourinho, Fergie, Laudrup, Klinsman, Mancini or whoever……….. You NEED A DECENT TRANSFER FUND! WHAT don’t some of our supporters understand about this small but significant FACT!
And if you haven’t got a decent transfer fund, you need a wily experienced manager who can cobble together a method of achieving stability and ensuring premiership survival. This is what its ALWAYS been about this season, maybe some of us have been deluded enough to believe different, but this season was NEVER about pretty football, but SURVIVAL! Which then gets this club to a position to invest more and take this club forward to the next level.
It hasn’t been easy for ANY of us as supporters, but this is the situation, where we are and where we intend to go!
COYI
Most of your comments seem to be based around the fact that Sam hasn’t been able to spend money on players to improve the squad, What about the money he has spent on Carroll, Downing, Jarvis, Maiga, that amounts to about 35 million before you even talk about wages. I don’t think that can be called an insignificant amount of money
Wouldn’t it be great if FS
was given a bit of support in buying players in the Summer
instead of having every proposed move blabbed to the Bloody Media
by Young Jack.
Might be even nicer if he abstained from comment till after a deal is done
unless daddy is using him to misinform.
Even better with the interests of the Club at Heart why not try it Jack??
The thing about BFS is how divisive he makes us the fans. We can all take a view that he has done th job he been paid to do but the reality is he is not a good coach. He is another media darling and gets away with excuse after excuse week after week. He has made us hard to beat? turned over by all the top teams at home and a fair few of the lesser teams. The February run which will keep us up was full of luck. When was the last time we played well for a whole game? I too have watched West Ham since the 70’s and whilst we had many bad times we also had some very good teams and players who showed it on the pitch. BFS is not prepared to give any of the young players a chance. Above all else I cannot forgive him for throwing the young players to the wolves against Forest, playing an unfamiliar system and his smug face and smiling when we lost. I can assure you I have never smiled when we have lost and I don’t expect our manger to do so. This weekend he even linked the tragic loss of Dylan to our loss. The man gets lower and lower. If this man and his football is meant to represent the West Ham i have loved for over 40 years then i can honestly say it is time for a divorce and that gentlemen will break my heart.
I hear all your comments defending BFS, and whilst I have been a supporter of his for the last few years, I am now getting extremely frustrated watching clubs coming to Upton Park, playing good passing football, and generally keeping possession for huge periods of the match. We spend perhaps 5 or so minutes chasing them, trying to get the ball, and when we finally do we boot it upfield, lose possession and go back to chasing the ball again. Playing the so called West Ham way apparently didn’t win much for us we keep being told, but we are now in a position, with three matches remaining, where we are reliant on teams below us losing their matches to keep us in the premiership, as we don’t seem capable of keeping ourselves there!
Sam Allardyce wasn’t my choice for West Ham manager but I think we’d better get used to him being around for the next few years, as I don’t think he’s going anywhere until after we’ve relocated into the new stadium. So, by my reckoning, that’s two to three more years of watching a team set up around Andy Carroll. I would like to see a second striker to feed off Carroll (in a 4-2-4 formation as Andy is often too isolated) – someone like Shane Long, if Fernando Torres doesn’t fancy it!!
For the record, my choice of man to take West Ham forward is Glenn Hoddle.
Hoddle hasn’t managed for years, and I doubt he would give up the comfortable and sunny life he has been living since he was shamefully shown the door in England…
Lets stop thinking about history- by default it is gone. spending $30+m a year doesn’t guarantee survival but should guarantee we have a plan B- Sam doesn’t have one. It is dull to watch, won’t help attract new players of quality and will never fill a 60,000 stadium- that is simple fact. We don’t see the youth coming through, the team picks itself when fit under Sam- no surprises. If we are to now add further investment in the squad then that needs to start by ensuring it is part of the longer term plan, that does not involve Sam for a large % of fans- you cannot keep losing hard core fans and achieve the long term goal of 60,000 fans in the stadium. It is supposed to be Entertainment!!
With 5-7 players out of contract, a budget circa 25m surely now is the time to build- a battered Moyes for me would be perfect- huge achievement with little budget at Everton- exactly what we need and he would utilise our existing investment in Carrol- when it made sense to do so. Like many 30+ years of up’s and downs and I am not expecting us to win the league, but up’s and downs at least had some great players with exciting matches- can’t remember the last game we won that I enjoyed watching for the full 90 minutes.
You say he had little money ill run through the signings he has made at the price or enough the price paid!!
Matt taylor £2.5
Kevin nolan £5
Diarra £2.5
James collins £2.5
Guy demel £2.5
Henderson (gk) £0.5
Ravel morrison unsure even £0.5
Andy carroll £15
Matt jarvis £7 again not to sure
Stuart downing £6
Modibo maiga £5
sam baldock £2
Nicky maynard £1.75
vaz te £0.5
i think thats close £50m hes spent over the last 3 years i may have missed a player or 2 thats just price tag not wages also the free transfers hes got the wages for them players aswell hes has more money then most of the managers in our recent history and we still need to buy yet another 5 or 6 top players we are so far behind its unreal so please stop and think about the money hes had from our chairman thats been wasted cos tell me out of all the players whos been a real top class signing for us and produced week in week out??
sam has got to go he has ripped the heart out of the club
Managerial dinosaur and tactical lightweight. He may be a media darling and able to pull the wool over some peoples eyes, but not mine, and not a great deal of the long suffering Hammers support. I am sick and tired of being told to stop whingeing and support the team. After more than 50 loyal years I am ENTITLED to say what I think, just as we all are. The football has been nothing short of a joke; Sunday morning league standard with no thought, planning or excitement. Ask any Newcastle fan what they think of him after his woeful spell in charge at St.James Park. Like us, they expect more from their team, more than a just a series of long diagonal balls from the centre half to Andy Carrolls head. Where is the youth, the energy, the pace, the skill, the movement, the inter-play, the triangles, the dribbling, the shots????? The fact is that Sam Allardyce is a one trick pony who has got away with murder for too long. Putting on Carlton Cole alongside Andy Carroll looked a great move when we tried to chase an equaliser on Saturday…then he took off both wingers and killed their only chance of supply. Genius…sheer Genius !!!
Allardyce out,Karen Brady out
Good post SPENCE 55, I also have over 50 years (1955 Cardiff city in the cup ) i´m exhausted whinging ,as you say the man´s a genius. I´m afraid only the board can put this right.