My initial reaction to the news, which came out in the form of a statement on the clubs website in May, that West Ham co-chairmen David Gold and David Sullivan had decided to retain the services of Sam Allardyce for the coming season, was one of concern.
This was not concern that Allardyce was staying put, which I was personally in favour of, but rather the fact that his job was to remain on several provisos, most notably that the owners would gain greater control over transfer activity, and that the team changed its style to a more attacking approach; something which also included the recruitment of a new attacking coach, which ultimately turned out to be former Hammer Teddy Sheringham.
My fear with this apparently greater input from the club chairman on first team affairs, was that at some point down the line there would be clashes over the teams style of play or personnel, if for example Allardyce wasn’t playing a certain player whom the chairmen wanted to see on the pitch, or they perceived that he was using ‘negative’ tactics for certain matches.
It would also be highly likely that a seasoned manager like Allardyce will get fed up with being effectively told how to manage his team at some stage, and overall this would affect the teams performances negatively – with the manager probably implementing tactics that he doesn’t feel is right or that his players are capable of performing in.
Well this has already occurred before the season has even begun. From David Sullivan crossing swords with Allardyce on the issue of Ravel Morrison on national radio and his son Jack seemingly tweeting negative remarks about the Hammers beleaguered boss on Twitter, to Allardyce blaming the newly demanded attacking ideology for his sides defeat in a recent friendly match, tension has been shown to be in the air.
I have little doubt that the owners, in making such demands on Allardyce for this coming season, are trying to appease those supporters – of which there appears to be a significant number – who were disgruntled by the decision not to sack Big Sam at the end of last season. But I have to ask the question: whatever your personal feelings about Sam, how is the current scenario going to help West Ham United in any way?
We now appear to be in a situation where the owners do not seem to particularly want Allardyce as manager anymore but are still sticking with him, perhaps so they do not have to pay the Lancastrian’s contract off. As for Big Sam himself, he probably feels as though he is on borrowed time in the West Ham hotseat, and is unlikely to survive beyond this season at the very most. This does not feel like a very healthy situation at this moment in time – with a squad of players, mainly brought in to the club by Allardyce – to be playing under a manager whose style and methods the clubs hierarchy are not in tandem with, and whose position is already under scrutiny.
The rumours that have emerged and public disagreements between chairmen and manager are also creating plenty of media speculation about the manager’s position at West Ham, which again helps no-one. Indeed Big Sam is already the clear favourite to be the first Premier League boss to be sacked next season with most bookmakers.
The decision was made by Messer’s Gold and Sullivan to keep Allardyce at the club back in May, and they have already provided him with ample funds to improve the squad this summer. With the start of Premier League season fast approaching, it would clearly be a bad time to sack the manager, and throw all the preparation currently being made, completely out of the window. If they don’t really want Sam at the club, the co-chairmen should have sacked him right at the start of the summer, and given a new management team ample time to develop the squad to their own preferences.
As it is, Allardyce should be here to stay, at least for the time being, and as such should be backed completely in all decisions he makes about the team, for example whether or not he sees Ravel Morrison as an important part of his plans. It should also be made clear, in my view, that if Allardyce does perform this campaign, and meet the targets set by the chairmen – of a top ten finish with an improvement in style of play – then he will be rewarded with a new contract. This would also give Big Sam a greater incentive to do well in the season, and be fully committed to the job in hand.
Ultimately, he should be left alone to get on with his job whilst he is still manager, and develop the squad and style in the manner he sees fit, rather than having it all imposed on him from above. Mr Gold and Mr Sullivan have been brilliant in so many ways for the club, and I fully respect the desire they clearly have to see West Ham fulfil its full potential. But I urge a hands off approach to the first team, and allow Sam to achieve their aims and objectives slowly but surely.
who is the Lancastrian you refer to?
Agree 100%. We are in for an unbearable year as the manager will not change; and why should he! He has done exactly what he was bought in to do and the fans that think he will change his style are naive to say the least. Because if this we have calls for his head over pre season warm up games; it’s embarrassing and will continue for the whole season. Stability is absolutely key for the years running up to the move yet a large section are happy to gamble the clubs future and the chairman (sully to be precise) has undermined him and created a no win situation for himself, the manager and the fans. All this unrest will no doubt unsettle the team this coming season. He’s not going to get sacked but will be gone next year. From my point of view I will thank him for the job he’s done; let’s remember where we were 3 years ago. If we don’t get behind our team this season it may well be the difference between mid table and relegation!
I will open my post by stating that I have been a Hammer for 43 years and seen everything but nothing beats what has come to pass since Allardyce has been at the helm. Why should he be changed well let’s get right to it. He cannot influence a game positively, everything he does is based from a negative standpoint, ie to try not to lose rather than to try to win. He does not play players in their best positions, ie hanging Zarate out to dry against Malaga as the lone striker when that is not a position he has ever played, Diame on the wing. He persists with Nolan when we have better options. He has succeeded in eroding every bit of confidence out of many good players that have come our way and left them shells of what they were before joining us. He has but one way of playing and cannot change that and that is not good enough in this league. He will leave such a negative wake when he goes that I am fearful for what our next Manager will have to work with. Our pre-season was not an embarrassment because of the results but the fact that he hasn’t even tried a different way with the players we have brought in who are crying out for a more passing approach. We created nothing in 6 games and set up so negatively that we should just have stayed at home and trained. Tell me what was learnt in our pre-season other than Allardyce is a pig headed stubborn fool? Einstein said that the height of lunacy is doing the same things time and time again and expecting a different outcome; well there you have Allardyce in one sentence. Allardyce out…..now.
Preparations for this season? Did you watch the game yesterday? Clueless. Totally disorganised. Not a shot on target. Give me a break. Zarate didn’t see a ball.
Plan A lone striker won’t be seeing us go far this season. What bfs has done to date is just that. In the past. That’s what the Premiership is all about. The here and now. We need top half finish and the ability to attract 10-15k more bums on seats at the OS. Big fellow unlikely to deliver the latter. That’s a given.
Sams excuse for last seasons tactics was that he can only do a job with the tools he has at his disposal.
I think that is a serious cop out and an insult to those players which does nothing to boost their confidence..Are they so bad that they can’t play any decent football or is the truth that Sam doesn’t know how to play real football.
Would Harry have had them lumping it up to the lone striker every week or worse still not even playing a striker.
I think not..
I agree that chairman poking their nose in is not good.I actually think Sam knows he is going to be sacked at some stage.But he is no mug and he wants his money so he will play the game making the right comments until he gets his money.
You know what i don’t blame him,we knew what we were getting,he delivered promotion,he delivered survival,but entertaining football is a bridge to far.
I agreed with you right up to the point about giving him targets that if successfully achieved would lead to a new contract. Just ainn’t gonna happen, nor should it. To hold the club to be a hostage of fortune might just possibly have a positive effect on BS ( though I doubt that he would actually want to stay anyway if ther wasa choice) it would potentially be disastrous for the club a year out from the OS. It’s going to be difficult enough to get through this season with boring safety looking even more tenuous than usual at the moment but to expect it to last beyond that is about as realistic as expecting to win the war by counter attacking from the beaches of Dunkirk.
Let’s all try to stick together get through this season and start again with a manager and new recruits who will a year from the OS be more than ready to join I suspect. A change at this stage would be foolhardy however and sadly the fans are the last to take responsibility for their own decisions, hey some wanted us to build the team around Morrison.
Deja-Vue all over again
Same old rubbish and making Noble captain a disaster . If the others follow his example we will not make a forward pass , a clean tackle , score from a set piece or run faster than a jog . He is the reason we have no creativity . Everyone who keeps on about how great is have been brain washed by the mediocrity that has been dished up for the last 10 years . If he is the best …God help the rest . A donkey like him ….(Pike , Parris , Dickens mould ) would not get in the squad of the top 12 teams in the league . Perhaps the FACT that not even QPR have tried to buy him should tell you what the rest of the division are thinking !!
You are putting Mark Noble in the same bracket as Pike, Parris & Dickens??????? Utter garbage, and confirmation you know nothing about the game. These are simply blind prejudices that cannot be supported by any of the facts.
Mark Noble has been the glue and the heart of this team for years. Without his ability to keep possession and move the ball around then I hate to think what the already appalling results would have been like. The guy plays his own game and also covers for the jokers like Nolan and Diame who take money under false pretences week after week. To disrespect a local lad who bleeds claret and blue every game is unbelievable. A donkey ???? How did we end up with a so called fan like you mate ???
Whilst I don’t think Noble is awful I don’t think he is as good as everyone makes out….if he was born in Newcastle rather than East London I wonder if everyone’s opinions would still be as glowing…..I think he is a good solid player but no more…..the one thing you cannot question though is his commitment…..100% agree with you there….