Have West Ham made the right decision?

Now, I would have been quite happy for Sam Allardyce to remain as West Ham manager for at least next season. Overall he has done a good job in gaining promotion and then stabilising the club in the Premier League, and he certainly deserves to at least be given this season to see if he can build upon this. Also, there aren’t too many other experienced candidates on offer who seem particularly tempting at this moment in time.

So, whilst partly relieved by the news brought to us courtesy of a statement on the club’s website on Tuesday, that Allardyce is to remain as manager, I do have some concerns about the way this is being handled.

The statement, and quotations from David Gold and David Sullivan within the statement, spoke of the need to adapt tactics and play in a more entertaining way during the next campaign; the ‘West Ham way’ indeed. Apparently Allardyce has also agreed to the employment of a new attacking coach to complement his back room staff to help with this, as well as an overhaul in recruitment policy at the club, in which the owners will get a greater say in who we buy.

All of this would appear to be a tactic to try and ensure that the club both retains the stability of a proven Premier League manager in Allardyce, whilst at the same time appease the growing anti-Allardyce section of the support and thus protect season ticket sales, which some supporters are threatening to boycott.

As much as I hope this set up works, from the outset, I can foresee problems. It all sounds good on the face of it, but for how long would Allardyce put up with the sort of interference that seems to be implied?

Personally, I do think that we need a change in the recruitment policy under Allardyce, and should be looking to build a more youthful squad, as well as gradually start adding more flair players on top of the solid base of a team we currently have. However, it will remain to be seen how the new set up will work. I cannot see Allardyce taking kindly to players being imposed upon him by the likes of David Sullivan if he does not really want them, and nor would it be good for the club if they do not fit into his system of play. He is the manager after all and, whether you like it or not, he is ultimately the one who is going to be using the players at his disposal.

I have never been a fan of the so called ‘continental model’ of running a football club, where essentially, a head coach is in charge the first team squad, but everything else, such as transfers, are managed outside his control, and this may be the first step towards such a model at West Ham.

Sam has never been one to enjoy criticism, even at the best of times, and would be unlikely to enjoy being told that he has to play in a different manner to what he wants. As much as I, as well as all other Hammers fans would love to always see exciting attacking football, as per the owners vision, it doesn’t seem like a good idea that our manager is effectively being told that he can stay in the job on the proviso that he plays in the ‘right’ way, according to the owners preferences, rather than the manner in which he sees fit. Like it or not, it is fantasy to suggest that a team like West Ham can play a certain purist brand of football all the time. There will be certain games in which we will have to dig in and defend for long periods and yes, sometimes it can be an effective to play direct football, depending upon the opposition and game situation. So is this now not allowed? Or will Allardyce be under too much pressure not to play this way even when he thinks it is for the best?

As for the introduction of a new attacking coach, my real fear is that the appointee will be a former West Ham player who is popular with the supporters, to appease the Sam haters even more. The employment of say a Paolo Di Canio would send shivers down my spine. The experienced Allardyce wouldn’t at all enjoy being told to change his attacking tactics by someone like that, and you can only foresee off the field problems being exacerbated if this happened.

The other problem with bringing in a popular former player as a coach would be that many supporters would be clambering for that person to be made manager as soon as things weren’t going well on the pitch – and indeed the new coach would probably take most of the credit if results were going well. This would then leave the board in a difficult position where they may have to choose that coach as Allardyce’s replacement as manager, when he does leave, even if he may not be up to the job.

It is too early to condemn the recent announcement by the club, and I very much hope the greater involvement in the management of the squad by the owners will work out for the best but I do have my concerns. Ultimately, whether the proposal to retain the effective Allardyce, yet appease fans unhappy with his style of play will end up for the best, is something I am not entirely convinced by.

Let me know what you think of the announcement