da bet esporte： 2014/15 has certainly been a season of contrasting events for West Ham and the Upton Park faithful.
da gbg bet： The campaign begun surprisingly well for the Hammers as Big Sam’s side successfully pushed up the Premier League table, even managing to maintain an impressive fourth spot all the way up until Christmas.
Since the turn of the year, however, things simply went from bad to worse for the boys in claret & blue. A combination of ill-timed injures, some truly questionable tactics, and an embarrassing whimper of an exit from the FA Cup, all culminated into the deterioration of West Ham’s domestic fate towards the end of the season.
Despite only recording a measly three wins this calendar year – a worrying stat that would see most Premier League managers come under pressure for producing such poor form – several important voices from within the world of football have subsequently criticised the Hammers for not renewing Sam Allardyce’s contract in the run up to the new campaign.
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The somewhat overused phrase, ‘be careful what you wish for’, has been constantly touted among the media and pundits alike recently, and whilst it would seem unfair to personally name names in such a crude manner – let’s just say certain characters on Match of the Day need to revaluate their increasingly old fashioned stance if they are to viably remain in the entertainment business…
So then, do West Ham have to ‘be careful what they wish for’ after making such a bold move, or was the decision to part ways with Sam Allardyce the only real option left on the table?
In the cold light of day, the Hammers chairmen had every right to end the club’s journey with Big Sam at the helm. It was a notion that could arguably have been delivered much earlier on in his Upton Park career, too.
Pundits repeatedly throw out the claim that the former Bolton boss had done everything that was asked of him since first arriving in the east end – but this statement is simply one born out of sheer simplicity. Yes, he got West Ham promoted from the Championship at the first time of asking and left the club free from the threat of relegation in the Premier League, but that simply doesn’t tell the whole story.
Big Sam was also tasked with producing a top-ten finish this season, enjoying a reasonable run in either of the two domestic cups, and most importantly – told to make watching the Hammers on a week-to-week basis a far more entertaining experience. With all things considered across 2014/15, the manager just hasn’t delivered.
West Ham have also spent more money on transfer fees than they ever have done throughout the Allardyce years, so it comes as no surprise that the club are now in much better shape than in previous seasons.
The Big Sam backers out there nevertheless continue their claims, pointing to the subsequent relegations of Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn after each team decided to part ways with Big Sam. Again though, such an analysis is far too simplistic…
It took Bolton several seasons to get relegated after losing Sam Allardyce and replacing him with a string of uninspiring new faces, Newcastle were almost relegated again this season because of the same lack of investment from Mike Ashley that afflicted the club back in 2008/09, and Blackburn’s ill-fated faith in the unproven Steve Kean simply wasn’t going to work from the get-go.
West Ham continue to receive the backlash for finally showing some ambition in the managerial department, however. Names such as Rafa Benitez and Jurgen Klopp obviously remain unlikely candidates to lead the Hammers into the Olympic Stadium in the not too distant future – but as such a seemingly world class stadium should be worthy of a would-be world class manager at the helm – the east end club are well within their rights in aiming so high.
Those who discredit the club for letting go of a ‘proven’ Premier League coach, such as Sam Allardyce, and replacing him with an equivalent with no such experience in the English game should also receive their fair share of questioning.
Southampton carried out a similar move to great success with Ronald Koeman this season, so perhaps it’s time football in this country started taking some well measured risks for once, instead of treading the same old stagnant waters time and time again.
West Ham have therefore made positive steps in moving on from Big Sam, and certainly don’t have to ‘be careful what they wish for’ ahead of the 2015/16 campaign.
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