Just eight games left and the big question remains!
It is not – as it should be – about how many points the team collect but whether Sam Allardyce will remain in charge at the end of them!
It’s a terrible shame that the division which exists between the fans over the manager has now become part of the West Ham culture – an inevitable discussion point every season.
This time of course, it’s different. His contract is up in June, there’s no compensation to pay and its a case of whether the Davids have had enough of him or whether they are ready to invest another two years in his style of management because believe me he won’t take one year rolling deals.
He knows he can do better than that elsewhere.
The hysteria which surrounds the Sam issue – and we at ClaretandHugh readily admit we have been caught up in at times – has been dreadful. The division itself is a massive problem as blogged on here recently by Rich Sprent.
This club’s fanbase are at each other’s throats all day every day and that is one reason why maybe the 60 year old will have to go.
His supporters will stress over and over again that he doesn’t deserve to be binned, because he has done everything asked of him.
Nobody can argue with that but there remains one big flaw in the argument and that is that the requirements have changed.
The club has decided it really does need to start winning things and Sam isn’t noted for that – indeed he has never won anything.
There are other underlying issues at the club which are creating obvious conflicts with a David Sullivan announcement before Christmas making his position towards Sam very clear indeed.
He said: ‘The longer you are in the game and the longer you’ve had the manager, you get involved more and more because when you see your money wasted year after year, you think “I could do as good as that.
It gets even stronger with him adding: ‘And you really can, you know. I know that sounds daft but if you’ve had 20 years of buying players, seeing money spent, they’re not geniuses.’
He stopped short of mentioning Modibo Maiga and Alou Diarra but the point was clearly made!
Last summer they did something about that by becoming far more hands on in the market place and were highly successful with the arrival of such as Cresswell, Valencia and Sakho arriving – all as a result of the board’s drive for more attacking football.
Much has been made of the brilliant performances against such as City, United, Liverpool, Spurs and Chelsea. The board may well take the view that was because of their determination to ensure that things changed on the field and their insistence on an attacking coach.
Sam Allardyce’s ensures that wherever he works there is no director of football involved. He actually has one now in all but name – David Sullivan advised by his new recruitment of director to the board, Tony Henry.
Those two are calling the shots more and more and whether such a tension is maintainable for another two years has to be doubtful in the extreme.
So will there be a change of manager?
My personal view is that it looks an inevitability. Who that somebody will be remains a vexed question and we will all hold a different view. I just pray to God it’s somebody who can reunited a fan base desperately weary of all the ghastly infighting!
hes got to go he has never won anything,you could have messi,ronaldo in the suad he would drop them and put nolan and carrol on he likes long ball he dont like tippy tappy [his own words ] he would send messi and ronaldo on loan/
The dinosaur must go.
Fed up with him sticking Downing on the wing just to accomodate Nolan , when we had a winning combination.
The performance for the last 3 years, albeit pre christmas, has been dire and the worst I have seen in 50 years.
We can only now go up or down one place but he would rather play O’Brien, Nolan and Cole instead of giving Burke, Poyet and Lee a go.
Lets pray the David’s see sense.
Sadly I think the only way forwards is to let Sam go as it will be th only was to end this never ending argueing. Just get a new manager, it will at least stop people complaining for a few months until we continue to underachieve next season under another ‘well’ picked manager by our owners.
Yes Hugh, I’m realizing that West Ham is divided into two parts: Sam lovers and BFS brigade. When these things happen there’s something wrong, so the best thing is to reset and start afresh. It will be good for players and fans, if BFS stays next year will be even worse. I’m sure about that.
Chelmo do you not remember the way we played pre christmas when Nolan and Carrol were injured. It was excellent and do you remember since christmas when Carrol and Nolan came straight back in and Valencia was stuck on the bench and Downing stuck out on the wing.
Surprise surprise we have dropped down the league.
I think I’m just appeciating the fact that we’re save so early on. I agree its been painful watching since Christmas and even with the injures I can’t see the logic to changing the diamond. My point is though, as Hugh said, sadly we’ve become a culture that rarely if ever backs the manager, regardless of who it is. I think we need a new manager just to easy the arguing for at least a while, even though I’m sure it won’t last.
Off topic, I’m up Leicester on my own for away game, in a couple of weeks. Anyone know of any fans places to drink up that way?
any all fan places*
When i went up by train i went into a boozer with my mates called The Swan & something,cant think of the second name,but it had irons & leicester fans in it.Was nothing special as a boozer but we had the crack.I think it was near the station.But i have a memory of a goldfish so cant remember.I was also quite p*ssed before i got there,lol 😀
I don’t plan on being sober when train roles into Leicester either in truth so I’m not to fussed about state of boozers haha
I really dont want another two years of his mundane football.If people want to sit & watch it just to hover round a stable 10th place fair play to them.If people think that we will get relegated without him thats their opinion,though ridiculous.We have stability under BFS,but we also have some of the most boring,predictable football that can be played.If fans like this football just to get into the top ten then good luck.But for me i want to watch something each week with entertainment value.I have never had delusions of granduer as an Irons supporter,its not in our make-up.But ffs,i want more than the dish i get served on the table atm.Four years of this type of football is enough for any sane minded fan,unless ofc you are one of the new breed of fan who want a win at any costs approach,though even people who used to be happy being entertained by the team now seem to have brought into this philosophy.Believe it or not it is possible to play entertaining football & still make progression.It doesnt only happen by winning 1-0 & defending a lead or respecting the point.8 matches & counting,pls give me what was in your remit at the start of the season Davids,entertaining football,it hasnt be delivered & how the hell people can still sing the praises of Dudley the Dinosaur after one,oh no,sorry,two wins in 13 is beyond me!
I said in another post that I’d rather play entertaining football and have some relegation and promotion battles than spend an eternity hovering around mid-table achieving nothing but a secure place in the Premier League. If the owners are looking for nothing but financial stability then that is what they may be happy with.
We need a manager that connects with the fans and is respected. Right now we have a manager that does nothing other than performing the function he is tasked with. I don’t think he has any really love or connection with the club and if he did I think things would be different, we might be able to tolerate the football we are currently seeing.
My worry is will we ever agree, Curbs, Pards, Zola, Grant and now Sam have all divided opinion, we are not an easy bunch to placate and we are very biased, just look at the Nolan, Noble conundrum in my opinion both are not good enough, but Nolan gets abused repeatedly whereas Noble’s failing’s are accepted because he is ‘West Ham’.
If you look at Noble’s stats i’d disagree with that statement..
I do agree though Nolan gets an unfair amount of abuse and recently has been superb of late when he’s been substituted i have believed it should of been Noble going off rather than him.
One major difference in that as well was what really annoyed people was to see Downing taken away from a position he had flourished in just to accomodate Nolan.I think that is what really got under many fans skins,especially when Nolan was then pretty insignificant in the team,to put it politely 😉
of those of us that remember good football being played as I do in the late 60s under Ron Greenwood then the 70s under John Lyall we had great games that even if we lost we were entertained them days I miss sadly then Billy Bonds even Twitchy the football was ok as ive said before I gave up my season ticket 2 seasons ago as the Hull game was the final straw under samasaurus all we need is a mamager with a football brain a rapport with the fans & a team to be proud of not much to ask. I live in hope 1 day before my last breath we are champions of either the premier league or champions league
i was going to the games when lyall was manger,i remember then,, everyone singing to get him out,the football was **** and we couldn’t win a game,i think your looking at the past through rose tinted glasses Rick.
As for a mundain football,most off the games this year have been very entertaining,you cant play well every game.
We need to have a stable team going into the os,i know most off you on here don’t like Sam,but here’s done his job, we’re on the up,give him 2 more years!! I’M RUNNING FOR COVER.
He has surely got to go!!!!! However, the fact I have to put a deposit down on my season ticket early next month! It wouldn’t surprise me if Sullivan keeps him. I’d still go over there and complain as usual if he’s still there! I suppose he’ll guarantee us safety for when we move but can I put up with being bored to death! Going to games where we settle for the point! To be fair that’s what winds me up most about him, start of the season we was on fire beating Liverpool and Man city after last season I didn’t expect that!! But Sam is stuck in his ways maybe got a nose bleed from being so high up the table and we have reverted to dire football again I went to Liverpool away thinking we’d maybe nick a point but we didn’t even turn up, I just want a manager when we play the likes of Liverpool, City, Chelsea, Arsenal we have a go. Against Chelsea at home we did and it was enjoyable we lost but I was actually happy for once! But then against Sunderland it was terrible yes we won but it felt like a loss!
I agree Jack,when me & mates left against chelsea even though we lost we spent the rest of the evening talking about the match.There was a real entertaiment value to it.Something to get your teeth into.We all left the Sunderland match with naff all to talk about,just which boozer we were heading to,lol,there was nothing to talk about with the regards to the football,it was sh*t.
As for most of the games being very entertaining this season i aint having that hammermolder,Run for cover fast,run Forrest,run 😀
dear hammermolder did he win us 2 fa cups a euro cup final runners up in 76 he got houndedout cos football had changed but he won trophies what as the dinosaur ever won?
Don’t get me wrong Rick,i loved Lyall, I was going home and away when he was manager,my point was, every manager has good and bad spells.
17 comments 2 people who think BFS should stay and 1 that Nolan has had more good than bad games,
1 know people will say that is because this site is anti SAM but that is not true,
We are anti bad football,we are anti 1 man who thinks he is bigger than the club,we are anti 1 man who thinks he is bigger than 34 thousand fans,we are anti 1 man who has lied to us and the board,
I don’t care who is manager, I don’t care if we win any trophy,s I don’t care if NOLAN plays or is captain I JUST WANT US TO PLAY GOOD ENTERTAING FOOTBALL
AND IF THAT MAKES ME ANTI SAM SO BE IT
wouldn’t be nice to go back to the days where we sang the gaffers name, I know we are Westham’s claret & blue army. But it would great to have a bloke in charge we are proud enough of to be the Gaffers claret & blue army. COYI