Despite overseeing what has so far been an impressive league campaign for the Hammers in 2014/15, last weekend’s disappointing FA Cup exit at the hands of West Brom has seen many of Big Sam’s detractors come out in full force once again at Upton Park. Successes on the road, as well as two very promising home victories against Manchester City and Liverpool respectively this season, have so far masked the angst between Sam Allardyce and the Boleyn Ground faithful – but now it seems tensions are finally starting to boil over.
Whilst the West Ham chairman certainly doesn’t deserve such abuse, several Hammers fans confronted David Sullivan after the loss to the Baggies last Saturday, asking why Sam Allardyce was still in place at Upton Park. It seems that, despite a somewhat successful campaign in the Championship and three steady seasons in the top-flight of English football, the marriage between Sam Allardyce and the West Ham fans has simply been a largely unhappy one.
With Big Sam’s contract due to expire at the end of the 2014/15 campaign, and the Hammers expected to arrive at their new home of the Olympic Stadium in the not too distant future, does the former Bolton and Newcastle boss deserve a new contract with the East Enders, or has his time at Upton Park finally come to a natural end?
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Whether it be through his failure to accept the proposed ‘West Ham way’, the over-dependence on certain favourites within the Hammers squad, or his apparent rejection of exciting players who could have made a difference at Upton Park, the number one issue surrounding Sam Allardyce has been his playing style. The big man has had to deal with such talk throughout most of his career and is probably sick of hearing about it now. After all, West Ham have definitely played some great stuff under the their current manager, and as some performances this season have clearly outlined, Big Sam certainly has it in him to mix it up when he has to.
However, having said all of that, there is an undoubted belief among many of the Upton Park faithful that Sam Allardyce still hasn’t clocked on to how the fans want their team to be playing. With many left somewhat aggrieved as a result, this notion is most commonly symbolised by Big Sam’s over reliance on Kevin Nolan.
For as good a captain the former Newcastle skipper has been for the Hammers during his time at the club, his days as a first team Premier League footballer sadly seem to be over. The 32-year-old no longer contributes enough to warrant his almost guaranteed place within Big Sam’s starting XI, which to the widespread frustration of most West Ham fans, has seen the likes of Morgan Amalfitano and Mauro Zarate somewhat left out of Allardyce’s plans this season. For the South American striker in particular, a move away from Upton Park has forcibly become a necessity that many fans didn’t want to see.
But to be fair to Big Sam, West Ham have displayed a more positive approach to their Premier League matches this campaign, largely going out for the win and not simply respecting the point as they have done with ill-fated results in the past. With the likes of Diafra Sakho, Alex Song, and a rejuvenated Stewart Downing playing in a more centralised role on board, West Ham have been a great deal easier on the eye this season, and have often succeed in the league as a result. However, much of this change has been brought about by fan pressure rather than on the back of Sam Allardyce’s decisions – and it is this that is seemingly holding back a new contract former the former Bolton man.
For that reason, it seems unlikely that the West Ham fans will ever fully take to Sam Allardyce. Someone with a strong link to the club, such as current Besiktas boss Salven Bilic, would likely appease the lack of connection between the manager and fans at Upton Park at the moment, even if it means Big Sam’s tailor made squad will have to get used to a slightly different managerial direction.
Although Allardyce backers could state that West Ham are exactly where most would have expected them to be, a mid-table team free of relegation fears but with nothing much left to fight for in 2014/15, the club’s upcoming relocation to the Olympic Stadium has simply required everyone to step up their game up a notch. In light of such news, maybe a more ambitious manager will therefore be required if the move away from Upton Park is ever going to be considered a worthwhile success for the club and it’s future endeavours.
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