Big Sam. Do you love him yet?

[m-h]

WHU1964,
I have said ever since we appointed Allardyce as manager that he is in the perfect environment to
prove all his critics wrong, come on, what better club to do it at.

Is he doing the job, yes. Exactly whats on the tin.

Problem is if you feel we could possibly take a step up as a team and club, can the board and manager deliver.

The support certainly can.

[DaveWHU1964]

WHU1964,
I have said ever since we appointed Allardyce as manager that he is in the perfect environment to
prove all his critics wrong, come on, what better club to do it at.

Is he doing the job, yes. Exactly whats on the tin.

Problem is if you feel we could possibly take a step up as a team and club, can the board and manager deliver.

The support certainly can.

Unless I'm incorrectly reading between the lines, because you haven't actually said it yet, but do you think that the board and Sam can't deliver in taking us a step or two up?

[m-h]

Unless I'm incorrectly reading between the lines, because you haven't actually said it yet, but do you think that the board and Sam can't deliver in taking us a step or two up?

Time will tell as always. The owners are at the biggest club they've ever owned. It could be said the manager is at the biggest club he's ever managed, no disrepect. Let's see if they can match up to the support. Are we lucky to have them or is it a case of they're lucky to have us.

I have no doubt the support is up for it.

[Bobby Orangeboom]

Time will tell as always. The owners are at the biggest club they've ever owned. It could be said the manager is at the biggest club he's ever managed, no disrepect. Let's see if they can match up to the support. Are we lucky to have them or is it a case of they're lucky to have us.

I have no doubt the support is up for it.

I'd say they were well out of their depth where marketing is concerned especially.

Our merchandise and our social media interaction with the fans leave a lot to be desired in my opinion and I believe they need to outsource it to a pukka American firm.

We should be smashing that American market, no one has still taken the bull by the horns over there and it's still relatively a new market.

Instead we advertise tickets in the London Evening Standard and on Talksport.

And we only sell out merchandise at Upton Park or two bob shops in Lakeside or Romford where the staff don't generally know their arse from their elbow.

So small minded, but you wouldn't expect anything less than men who made their money from soft porn in Britain in the 80's and 90's.

[DaveWHU1964]

Time will tell as always. The owners are at the biggest club they've ever owned. It could be said the manager is at the biggest club he's ever managed, no disrepect. Let's see if they can match up to the support. Are we lucky to have them or is it a case of they're lucky to have us.

I have no doubt the support is up for it.

Miami- yo'ure still hedging your bets and not saying whether you think the board and Sam can take us to another level. Fair enough- that's up to you. But actually Sam has already taken us to a completely different level to the one he found us at. And whilst the board have their faults, they have developed into a vastly superior, more professional and business like one than the Icelandics or Brown's tawdry mob. Wasn't a high bar for them to beat I know.

Twice you've mentioned the support is up for it. I'd love to be sure of that but we only fill our ground consistently due to kids for a quid/ cheap tickets/ constant promotion of games via media so forgive me if I don't feel fully confident in joining in with the self congratulatory assessment of our support whilst either honestly or curmudgeonly saying that the jury is out on the manager. That's not a knock at our support by the way which is fantastic. It's just its real level is a bit less than the average attendance we are seeing. Even so, it's likely that Arsenal, Spurs and certainly Chelsea would not have the attendances that we have after more than 30 years of winning nothing.

Last thing- I've never been one to see West Ham as being lucky to have me. When I've heard people say these things I've tended to switch off cos again that just feels like fans bigging themselves up, and this modern day requirement for the recognition of others telling them "You're so fantastically loyal to an underachieving club that it must say good things about you. Well done you".. I've gone a bit over the top there but I hope you get my point. Myself, I just feel lucky to support a club which I completely love, and to have made many friendships over the years based on that same love.

[Heart0fIron]

Twice you've mentioned the support is up for it. I'd love to be sure of that but we only fill our ground consistently due to kids for a quid/ cheap tickets/ constant promotion of games via media so forgive me if I don't feel fully confident in joining in with the self congratulatory assessment of our support whilst either honestly or curmudgeonly saying that the jury is out on the manager. That's not a knock at our support by the way which is fantastic. It's just its real level is a bit less than the average attendance we are seeing. Even so, it's likely that Arsenal, Spurs and certainly Chelsea would not have the attendances that we have after more than 30 years of winning nothing.

We're in a recession and standard ticket prices are at an all-time high due to players wage demands. I commend G&S for ruthlessly promoting cut-price tickets to fill the grounds up and give our lads the best support possible to help us win matches. But I am not an ST holder so I'm coming from a different angle.

[Denbighammer]

We're in a recession and standard ticket prices are at an all-time high due to players wage demands.

The clubs don't have to pay the wages players ask for.

[Any Old Iron]

Tonight on MOTD Allardyce said:

"our work ethic away from home has to be about stopping the opposition". How grim.

I prefer the Danny Blanflower philosophy: "The great fallacy is that the game is first and last about winning. It's nothing of the kind. The game is about glory. It's about doing things in style, with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom."

That's the problem with Allardyce, away from home HE IS quite happy to wait for the other team to die of boredom.

[AlfieG]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20919220

[Hammertapp]

He actually said 'Stopping the opposition and earning the right to play yourself'.

We're a newly promoted premier league team and if we go out to attack in away games we will get mullered. I agree our form has not been good enough away from the Boleyn but I can't agree it's down to Sam. Can we blame him for the atrocious midfield performance we gave today? Well he wasn't the one in the middle of the park.

Hopefully we will improve and get some points (or at least a goal) away from home soon, but this season our home form is vital and that is where we have played our best football.

[e17]

He actually said 'Stopping the opposition and earning the right to play yourself'

Which makes more sense & is logical management when added to the selective editing from the first post

Today may have been woeful, but it's a short memory that forgets our away form in our last 2 seasons under Zola & Grant

You could count the success stories on 1 hand!

[baritalia]

The owners are backing Sam enormously. With philosophy like this can we ever get anywhere?

[kayahammer]

The owners are backing Sam enormously. With philosophy like this can we ever get anywhere?

Patience my friend. Bolton came up but didn't become European contenders overnight. Sam has to build on what he has and improve the team slowly when the windows are open. Then you'll see players like J Cole being signed and making a huge difference.

First though, as he did with Bolton, is to make sure we're in the PL next year. He has got us 26 points. 4 more wins and a couple of draws and he'll have achieved that. And he has 17 games to do it.

Rome wasn't built in a day

[Westcliff Hammer]

The owners are backing Sam enormously. With philosophy like this can we ever get anywhere?

Behave, It's the way to set up away from home. We aint Barcelona.we cant and shouldn't go to away games and play any otherway. You see it time and time again throughout teams in the premiership. SIlence the home crowd, frustrate the home team and nick a goal on the counter attack United do it, Chelsea do it, City do most teams in the Premiership do it. With this philosophy we will win more games away than lose. We just need strikers who can score goals not lumber on with a striker who has 2 goals all season long

[ShanghaiHammer]

Yea its well wubbish we lost away ,we are west ham and should play well nice footbal and win games. most games.

we have always been able to play weally well and win games and now its wubbish and we lose so depressing that we arent well good

Oh no, wait: I'm being a twat.

[Westcliff Hammer]

Yea its well wubbish we lost away ,we are west ham and should play well nice footbal and win games. most games.

we have always been able to play weally well and win games and now its wubbish and we lose so depressing that we arent well good

Oh no, wait: I'm being a twat.

i presume this is tongue in cheek

[westlondonhammer]

The owners are backing Sam enormously. With philosophy like this can we ever get anywhere?

Yes... yes we can get very far

[Bzzz]

Funny how its only when we lose that people start saying its depressing.

[cockney farmer]

Sorry but I kind of get what he says he is underlining a work ethic that has stood us so well in most games this year , earn the right means not be complacent and expect a physical battle , the only thing that pisses me off and it's a habit (he even did it when we went behind to Chelsea) is slumping in his chair he looks like he's sulking and it sends out a very poor vibe.

[VikeltAussie]

Moments of the Big Sam reign thus far, excluding Wembley as I'm sure that'll be most people's number 1.

Need a cheerful thread today.

For me
1. The annihilation of Chelsea
2. Who put the ball in the Pikeys net?
3. Lansbury England's Number One