Déjà vu anyone? Once again we arrive at the age-old discussion regarding Sam Allardyce and his future as manager of West Ham. Once again Allardyce is embroiled in speculation regarding the renewal of his contract with the owners saying that nothing will be discussed until the summer and, once again, fans are divided with one another on the issue. The 4-0 demolition job that West Brom undertook on the Hammers has resulted in this, arguably poisonous, issue rearing its head once again and the fall out is leaving the club in a very poor light.
For those ‘lucky’ enough to have read Adrian Durham’s piece in the Daily Mail last Tuesday the dominant theme regarded Allardyce’s lack of empathy towards the clubs fans. While most of Durham’s articles usually display an air of sensationalism, and opinions that leave most people questioning why they had wasted precious minutes of their lives on one of his pieces, on this occasion he raises a valid issue. Allardyce’s arrogant persona in public has possibly been one of his biggest failings as a manager. As such, when things go wrong, he leaves himself open to ridicule. This approach also presents the image, intentionally or not, that he feels the club’s fans owe him and he should be appreciated for the work he’s done. Unsurprisingly this isn’t that popular amongst Hammers fans.
Prior to his appointment as West Ham manager this was the main reason I didn’t like Allardyce. While I can’t comment on him as an individual (I don’t know the man personally after all) in press conferences and other media platforms he appeared to use these opportunities to praise himself and laud his own skills. I, and many others, like to see a degree of humility from people in their exploits, however successful. From the various TV appearances Allardyce has made through his career this never seems to be the case. An audience always appreciates some acknowledgement of the people that got you to where you are, as well as a realization that it’s not all your own work. By all means you can blow your own trumpet occasionally but should you at each and every opportunity? It becomes repetitive, monotonous and annoying.
You also run the risk of looking like an idiot. When Allardyce claimed that he was ‘the most sophisticated manager in the premier league’ earlier this month such a statement was just asking for trouble. Tony Pulis sorted that out last weekend.
Of course the first thing that comes to mind when contemplating the Allardyce conundrum is the dreaded ‘long ball’. I, like many fans, grew increasingly frustrated and disheartened at the sight of our centre backs lumping the ball up top last year. This year we’ve been fortunate enough to see a change in style effectively forced upon Allardyce by the owners in order for him to stay in the job. A strange move at the time but one that, on the face of it, appears to have paid dividends. This new philosophy on playing, however, needs everyone in the team to be on board with bundles of energy as well as requiring players with the actual capabilities of picking out accurate passes consistently. That necessary energy was absent against West Brom and we were humbled by an organized, strong unit with a manager who has also been labeled as a ‘long ball’ merchant.
With the benefit of hindsight, however, had we set up in a similar fashion and employed the stereotypical Allardyce tactic would we have been beaten in such a humiliating fashion? Would we have been beaten at all? It may well have been one of the dullest matches known but does that really matter in a cup competition? In my opinion if your players don’t have the energy for playing expansively you have to tighten up and become difficult to beat. Following that FA Cup performance Allardyce received abuse for trying to get his side playing the way we have all season but the players, for whatever reason, didn’t show up. If he’d set up to be organized and awkward to play against then he would also have suffered abuse. Regardless of what happens he’s the first to be blamed if something goes wrong from a fair number of supporters.
Then we come to the third major problem for Allardyce – Kevin Nolan. Daryl Roast’s piece for the Iron’s circle on Kevin Nolan was a particularly eye opening piece which everyone who has expressed doubts about the West Ham captain should read and take into account. Every time the midfielder steps on to the field the criticism is torrid, both on social media and in the crowd at games. Everyone can agree that his performances this season have been poor but does one player deserve such a barrage of abuse, some of it quite personal. As Darryl Roast says, lets not forget what he has done for the club and the order that he helped bring to the dressing room. Or maybe it’s this link with Allardyce, his footballing father figure, which has helped in him become such a target. Quite a few consider them as one and the same. With Allardyce gone would Nolan go too?
Will Sam Allardyce still be West Ham’s boss in the summer? I would say probably not considering the climate surrounding him. The relationship between the owners and the manager appears rocky and to leave any contract discussions until the summer suggests that they’re not to keen to sign him up to anything.
Should Sam Allardyce still be West Ham’s boss in the summer? Well that is a very different question. Personally I believe he should remain in charge for two simple reasons. Firstly, while Adrian Durham may be correct to point out the lack of empathy as a problem for Allardyce, I don’t entirely believe it when he says we are on the verge of the big time. Our squad this year is the best we’ve had for a long time but we are still in a situation where our future hangs in the balance. Maintain the way we’re playing and the squad and we can look up. If we suffer a few bad injuries then we start to look down. Couple that with poor performances and we start to look further down. We were playing championship football not that long ago so the progress we have made already is pretty impressive. We aren’t on the verge of the big time; we have the potential to be in the big time.
Secondly, with the move to the Olympic Stadium at the start of the season after next we simply have to be in the Premier League.If we dump Allardyce in the summer and make another Avram Grant style appointment then the club will be in a lot of trouble. Sam Allardyce may not always have a game plan that’s pleasing to the eye but he simply does not get relegated. People on the outside of the club question why some fans are so against him when you consider our current circumstances, 8th in the table and pushing for Europe. Be careful what you wish for regarding Sam Allardyce, just ask the fans at Blackburn Rovers.
In the grand scheme of things this season has been a huge success even with the humiliating exit in the FA cup and the relatively poor run of form. Despite the odd few blips the formula this season has been a good one. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.
