Patience is wearing thin and it appears that time is ticking for Sam Allardyce. His rocky relationship with the fans is as evidently striking now as it has been in his whole tenure as West Ham manager. Allardyce’s negative tactics, formations, team selections and substitutions have left fans furious at his decision making and this is only worsened by his pride and stubbornness in the media.
Sam will often criticise the fans for getting on his back and make excuses – from refereeing decisions to wasted chances – for our poor results but he fails to recognise that he has to share the burden of blame. The tension between our supporters and Allardyce is at a critical stage so Gold and Sullivan would be wise in refusing to renew his contract at the end of the season.
Allardyce is not the man to take this club forward, as we approach a ‘new era’ of football in the Olympic Stadium, and therefore we need to start seeking alternative options as soon as possible. This article will evaluate the best candidates that have been linked with becoming the new West Ham manager.
One of our main long-term targets is former player Slaven Bilic, who would be a popular choice amongst Hammers fans. Bilic has a wealth of managerial experience now, having been at charge at Hajduk Split, Croatia under-21, Croatia, Lokomotiv Moscow and currently Besiktas. With 119 wins in 212 games, Bilic boasts an impressive 56.13% win rate.
He is known for his thorough research into opposition sides and fiery passion on the pitch, which is the type of desire that West Ham fans long to see from a manager. The Croatian has openly expressed his aspirations to manage in the Premier League and has specifically commented on the possibility of taking over at West Ham, should the manager position become vacant. Bilic is also one of the favourites with the bookies at 9/4.
Another tantalising option is former Liverpool and Chelsea manager Rafael Benitez. Rumours suggest that the current Napoli manager is looking to leave the Italian outfit and return to the Premier League with the West Ham challenge tickling his fancy. His career win rate is over 50% which is particularly impressive considering he has taken charge of almost 1000 games.
His managerial honours list is a lengthy one including Europa League, La Liga, Coppa Italia, Champions League and (begrudgingly in 2006) the FA Cup. The appointment of Benitez would be a real signal of intent in our bid to move the club forward into the next stage. He currently sits at 6/1 with the bookmakers.
West Ham have also been linked with Marseille manager Marcelo Bielsa. Having previously been in charge of the Argentinian and Chilean national teams, as well as Athletic Bilbao, Bielsa is seen as one of the finest coaches in world football. He is nicknamed ‘El Loco’ for his acute attention to detail and the endless hours he spends watching football videos and searching for chinks in an opponent’s armour. His career win rate is fractionally under 50% and is on course to mastermind Marseille into a Champions League finish this season. With his radical and innovative 3-3-3-1 formation, Bielsa uses a free-flowing system with plenty to offer going forward alongside defensive solidarity. The Argentine is 8/1 to join West Ham.
It is also worth mentioning two frontrunners in David Moyes and Eddie Howe. Moyes, at just 2/1, is the favourite to take over the job but I am not entirely convinced that his appointment would take the club by storm. A career win rate of 44% is commendable but having struggled at Manchester United and since continued to struggle with Real Sociedad, I believe there are better alternatives out there.
Howe looks a great managerial prospect but I feel that, at the age of just 37, it is in the best interest of himself and West Ham that he remains at Bournemouth. In two spells as Bournemouth manager, he has extraordinarily seen the south-coast side go from narrow survival in the fourth tier to top of the Championship and favourites for promotion to the Premiership with four games left. An unsuccessful period at Burnley in between his time at Bournemouth was a slight cause for concern but an overall win rate of more than 48% and more than 320 games under his belt at such a young age means that Howe is one of the hottest managerial prospects in the world. He is currently 16/1 with the bookies but Howe is probably best suited to sticking with Bournemouth a bit longer whilst still learning the ins and outs of football management.
There are plenty of other names mentioned; Gus Poyet, Steve McLaren, Glenn Hoddle, Harry Redknapp and Neil Lennon are a just a small sample size of managers that would probably not be much of an upgrade, if at all, from Allardyce. Frank Rijkaard, the former Netherlands and Barcelona manager, has odds of 33/1 to become West Ham’s next manager and he could potentially be a successful appointment, considering his career win rate of over 50%. Rijkaard, however, has not managed a side since an unsuccessful stint at Saudi Arabia ended over two years ago. Another manager at 33/1 is Frank de Boer. The Dutchman has been in charge of Ajax since 2010 and boasts an impressive win rate of almost 60% in all competitions. He openly expressed his interest in the Newcastle job when Pardew departed earlier this year so a Premier League move remains a possibility.
