West Ham’s co-chairman David Gold believes Sam Allardyce is the best manager he and his partner in arms David Sullivan have employed …but only by a whisker
The pair inherited Barry Fry at Birmingham before employing Trevor Francis, Steve Bruce and Alex McLeish.
And after sacking Gianfranco Zola soon after arriving at Upton Park and hiring and firing Avram Grant, they turned to Allardyce.
But at the end of one of the most miserable runs of results and brilliant turnarounds in his period in the game as an owner Gold declared: “Sam probably just edges it as my personal best.
“And that’s probably only because this is a bigger club with bigger pressure from the fan base and the media.
“If things weren’t going great at St Andrew’s you’d have a few turn up to a press conference but if things are bad here – as of course they were a few weeks back – the place is heaving.
“The traditions and expectancy levels at Upton Park are so high. It’s a bigger job and that’s the difference because beyond that Steve and Sam’s records are much the same for us as is Alex’s.
“They have all have very similar records with us so on that basis there’s not much between them – but it’s the pressure of the job here that just gives it to Sam.”
Gold explained in Part One of his Claretandhugh exclusive of the miseries he had suffered as the team slumped into the relegation zone.
But he has a message of great optimism for the fans today saying: “After the last four games we are looking up and I believe we will survive.
“As for next season, I see us strengthening across the squad and I’d like to see some of the first teamers become back-up players as we do so – that’s always the way forward.
“In terms of achievement that would mean we could play better players in the Cup competitions and mount two strong assaults on those and I want to think that we will have an eye on Europe.”
