The speculation regarding the future of West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has, unsurprisingly, overshadowed any other West Ham news so far since the season ended. With mor ‘showdown talks’ between beleaguered boss and the clubs owners apparently on the horizon, in the next 7-10 days. However, it is not changing the manager’s position that should be the priority this summer, but rather some prudent purchases on the transfer market.
Last season wasn’t the disaster a lot of people seem to labelling it as, and to be honest, I think too many supporters have got completely carried away in their recent criticism of the club and manager. Ultimately, the main objective was met, and if that constitutes ‘disaster’, then I’m not sure how you would describe many other West Ham seasons that I have witnessed in recent years.
I can understand, to an extent, the issue with the style of play, as undoubtedly too many matches in the last campaign were pretty dire in terms of entertainment. I just simply do not agree that now would be the right time to get rid of Allardyce.
To achieve better results and football for next season requires investment in the team above all else. Sam has shown that he is capable of producing more entertaining football than we have been seeing recently. Certain games last season were very enjoyable to watch, in particular the victories over Tottenham Hotspur, and the year before that I was very happy with the way we played in the home matches.
He has also displayed in the past that he is perfectly capable of using skillful players in his teams, for example with Jay-Jay Okocha at Bolton Wanderers.
The main thing we need now is an improved squad, which will require some substantial money being spent in the transfer market. Changing manager now isn’t instantly going to get us playing like Real Madrid – it is better players that we require. This coming season, where even promoted clubs such as Leicester City and (possibly) Queens Park Rangers are likely to be spending big to try and secure survival.
Allardyce has worked with most of the current squad for two or three years, now, and there is certain stability at the club that we should not take for granted. For all the criticisms levelled, the first choice team know how to play together, and are capable of getting results, as they showed when we near enough had a fully fit squad during the second half of last season.
For me it would be a better idea to spend money on the right sort of players who can improve on this stability, rather than just start all over again. Big Sam has only one-year left on his contract, and paying him and his back room staff a reported £4million were they were sacked at this point just wouldn’t make any sense.
I would much rather see that money spent in the transfer market. For the job that he has done in his three years at the club he at least deserves to see out his contract. If this time next year things haven’t improved in any way then we can let Sam go without having to pay another penny. This isn’t a massive gamble as I think most would agree that he is highly likely to keep the club up at the very minimum – not something you can say of most of the managers currently being touted as possible replacements for Allardyce.
Let me know your thoughts.
Do we perhaps overrate the current importance of our own club?
We have won nothing significant since 1964/5.
We yoyo between divisions.
We have no or very little spare cash
and yet we want Moaninho, Wenger, or equal on the cheap
and with no cash to spend
HOW COULD WE DO THAT.
Improve slowly under FS and FFS Stop MOANING
here here!
So 1980 when we was in the second tier of football and the FA cup had a lot more importance is insignificant then?
Quite agree James , i’m afraid all these armchair experts who fancy having a punt with the future of the club by getting anyone in except Sam , don’t have to foot the bill to the tune of hundreds of millions if it all goes pear shaped and we end up in the Championship at the O.S . The football isn’t much different to last season really , just the results a bit worse ,mainly down to injuries and no decent back up striker .As i have said before if a better manager than Sam comes along and can keep us up and improve the football at the same time then fine .But i can’t see the sense in taking chances with an unproven manager just because he used to be a good player or someone who has been sacked by our fellow bottom half teams , if they were good they would still be in a job.
At last I’ve found a site worth reading ! I am sick of all these keyboard warrior’s on other sites.a couple of years of stability will do me because a lot of people have very very short memory’s. Thank you .
Have to disagree. Why let this second rate manager, and that is what e is, waste more of our money, lets face it we don’t have pots to splash anyway. He attracts mediocre players that play pretty much one way. So, he wastes another 25 million players, stays around for another 10-15 place finish, gets sacked for free then some poor b*rstard has to pick up the pieces of a shite squad and players with no flair or creativity. Get rid of him now before we have another damaging season. Also I wouldn’t expect to see Ravel back any time soon under Allardyce despite whats been said by the player/board etc.
Personally I would love to see Laudrup or Bilic take over.
Well as much as i agree with “some” of the above comments, to want to stick with dull, boring, one dimention football with no plan B beggars belief, there will be empty seats at Upton Park next season, he’s lost a vast majority of support from the fans, and now apparently the board. I agree whole heartidly that with SA we get stability, but people forget there were 16 other managers who managed to stay up without resorting to the kind of mind numbing predictable football we witnessed last season, there simply are no garuantees in this league so to stick with him based purely on the fact we “believe” he will keep us up is insane, there is a first time for everything, and now under SA we have become so predictable that SA’s first relegation could be upon him because I for dont beleive he is capable of changing, and would not trust him with another £20m based on past signings, but alas, its all about opinions and we all have them, whos right or wrong will be the topic of debate this time next year……..
And I must say, reading the comments above, it sounds like a forum for how to run a business, not football fans, I’m in it for the fun, entertainment and exitement, not who’s going to be paying for this or that, whilst i want my team to remain in the premier league, its certainly not at the expense of all things good at West Ham, there are too many “lets just do what it takes to stay up” fans and thats a worry, forget the business and finances, thats for the board, we are the money paying fans who turn out every week to cheer them on, which is getting more and more difficult to do due to the negativity of one man, we’ve become the away team at home, we play not to lose and respect the point, well sod that, not for me, or countless others around me in the east stand who are not renewing, unless you are there and are part of whats really going on in the stands then you truely have no idea how bad the unrest has got, and faith in the owners is at an all time low, I for one look forward to the day when someone else is in the dugout…..
Agreed Rob
Plus season ticket holder in the chicken run. This entitles me say what l like about our manager and team. As soon as bfs goes the better.
Will not be renewing my ticket if he stays!!!
What a complete load of bollocks that was, so many fans with zero ambition, lets just survive with shit football and an arrogant fat prick at the helm.
Rob , welcome to the real world , football IS a business ! a multi billion £ one , and i’m afraid you wont find any club owners taking a punt on their business on the whim of a few disgruntled fans .If you don’t renew your season ticket so be it , there are plenty that will .
Peter, I’m 51 years old, certainly not needing a welcome to the real world as you call it, I’ve been going over there for 42 years so its fair to say I know a thing or two about how clubs are run both now and years gone by, what saddens me is reading fans blogs, posts and comments about our great club and none of them ever really touching on the real issues, what actually happens on the field, I don’t particularly give a monkies about what goes on off of it, I don’t spend my money each year to hear about the board, and I don’t take my son to games to discuss the directors and off field problems, we go week in week out to watch our boys put in a performance and try their utmost to win a game, with maximum effort, and to see the guile and cunning of a manager who can change a game with substitutions, change tactics, and if losing, go all out instead of being coy, sitting back at 1 nil, going from centre half to striker every time, seeing our manager bereft of ideas, make subs even my son recognises as crazy, this is the real problem, right or wrong he needs to go, yes you are right, this is how clubs are run in modern football, and its that, and a poor choice of manager to push us forward, that is ripping the very soul out of who we are and what we represent, I don’t want to be like Man City, Chelsea, Arsenal or anyone else, I just want my old West Ham back whatever the consequences, I like many, would rather watch West Ham play the West Ham way in any league rather than put up with one more season of boring predictable dross, good luck to those that are happy to put up with it but my wallet is well and truly closed for next season.
As an armchair supporter who lives far enough from West Ham now for a visit to a home game to cost over £100 and take nearly 8 hours out of the day, I am torn. On the one hand I want my infrequent trips to Upton Park (or Stratford) to be filled with pride in a team that plays with heart, inventiveness and energy. On the other hand I guess my Sky + BT subscription will be that much less useful if my beloved team is no longer a Premiership side.
Right now, I’m game to give SA another year. If he can’t produce the goods this time, well his contract’s up anyway; but let’s see if he and our boys can make me long to own a season ticket!
But come on everyone, do you think we can have a season where we are right behind the team and its manager every step of the way while they are out there doing what they do? Leave the boos and cat-calls at the gate, and cheer them on to do us proud. At the very least it’ll make my £100 & 8 hours a happier experience.
Sorry, but if you are saying that Allardyce is the only one who guarantees stability then I think there is a great degree of delusion going on. His Bolton days are far behind him and football has moved on since then but he hasn’t. He is arrogant with no real success behind him to be arrogant, he cannot change tactics to try and positively affect a game, his substitutions when we are chasing the game are truly abysmal and the team is now almost entirely made up of players he has brought in. His stubbornness with regards to Nolan lead to Morrisson being farmed out, Cole being put out wide and what has Nolan really contributed this year to be guaranteed a starting spot. There are plenty of managers out there that could provide stability whilst providing a better style of play, it is just a matter of whether the owners have the appetite to switch now or risk another year of unrest because that is what will happen with Allardyce in charge……unless he has a change of approach, which would require a major mindset change. Tell me who is going to be attracted to us with him in charge.. apart from over the hill has-beens fleecing us dry?
That is all very well and yes, he has done his job in keeping us in the division, luckily in my view. My fear is that he will continue to split the club apart from Academy and fans right through to the boardroom. He is not that good as there are 12 managers above him in the division most of those playing more entertaining football. Is he going to start the new season without a fit PL standard striker again or is he going to take us back in the relegation zone again? Will he jeopardise the confidence of development players in cup competitions again?Will he insult us again? Far too many cons for me!
On it’s turning into a west ham till I die debate lol im off:O
Priorities, thats a joke! All this speculation another joke, what we will get is Sam and two free transfers plus any loans that kind find any other club to take them. Am sure Mark Curtis can finally persuade Yakubu and joey Barton to sign big money contracts. YIPPEE
The problem with what you say is the Fat Sam has done the same everywhere he has gone. the assumption that he will change the style of play is completely misguided. He plays percentage, long ball football. We can play that with bigger players, but utilizing the skill of talented players is not what he does.
Look at the stunning talents he was able to acquire at Bolton Djorkief, Anelka, Okocha, etc, and they still finished mid-table every season and crashed out of the cups early.
Let’s face it were not going to get a striker because Carrolls first choice and he won’t drop nolan the spine of the team is good bring in moyes or laudrap
does this photo make look like ummm, JC?
mind you bfs could do with being crucified, as well!!!!!