The return of Sam “Allardici”

Article by Brandon Freeman

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West Ham’s final home game of the season was always going to be a huge occasion, not only being a local derby but also because it was heavily rumoured in the week that Sam Allardyce’s future at West Ham would hinge on getting a result against Spurs and ending a run of four consecutive defeats which led to many hammers fans once again calling for Big Sam’s head.

However, as has been the case many times this season, when he has desperately needed a result, Sam “Allardici” has once again pulled off a stunning result to save his job and send the West Ham fans home happy after our third victory over Tottenham this season. Sam Allardyce’s direct style of play has come under immense scrutiny this season; however the style of play on show at Upton Park in Saturday was a far cry from simply launching the ball forward into Andy Carroll. Matt Taylor and Mark Noble were at the heart of everything good about the hammers performance, surging forward along side Mohammed Diame who put in one of his best performances of the season culminating in an overhead kick, which if scored, would have been one of West Ham’s goals of the season.

Despite being unable to beat Hugo Lloris who was in fantastic form in the second half, the ground work was already done following Younes Kaboul’s dismissal for bringing down Stewart Downing who was through on goal. One minute later, Harry Kane headed into his own net following a West Ham corner, which was followed by Stewart Downing’s first goal for West Ham via a free kick. A 2-0 win over a local rival and a first West Ham goal for Stewart Downing meant that the full time whistle was met with rousing applause from the West Ham fans, who were clearly delighted with the quality of football on show and the result which has lifted West Ham to the magic 40 point mark which mathematically guarantees that we will begin another season of top flight football next season. But the question remains, should Sam Allardyce remain at the helm for next season?

For me the answer is a resounding YES. Another season of premier league football to look forward to next season and a respectable position of 12th in the league ahead of a trip to Manchester City on the final day, I think every West Ham fan would have taken that if they were asked in early January, when West Ham were in dire trouble and relegation looked increasingly likely. Although at times the style of play hasn’t been as pretty as it was Saturday, West Ham have surely had a respectable second season in the Premier League, especially given the abysmal business done in the transfer window which meant we went into to season with just Carlton Cole and Mobido Maiga to look to provide the goals and also the dreadful amount of injuries that Big Sam has had to cope with for most of this season. Premier league survival has been nothing short of a minor miracle given the mess West Ham were in earlier in the season, so its refreshing to see Sam “Allardici” make a return with a win against one of the bigger teams in the division, something that Big Sam has had a knack for being able to do in the Premier League for many years.

So, should this result really change how we see Sam Allardyce, or has the result not been enough to atone for the style of play witnessed in recent weeks?

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