Thanks Sam job well done Sir.

[adie]

when Big Sam first became our manager it filled me with dread but then he said we would play entertaining football at home and ugly and hard to beat away, I thought fair enough I can live with that. However that wasn't the case and it didn't help his case calling us deluded and we all talk Bow Locks. Maybe it was down to not having the right players, rumours of wingers being signed is encouraging. I like to see full backs overlapping our wingers, if next season that is the case I'll be right behind Big Sam. Am I fickle ? Too f#cking right I am !

[Turns to Stone]

when Big Sam first became our manager it filled me with dread but then he said we would play entertaining football at home and ugly and hard to beat away, I thought fair enough I can live with that. However that wasn't the case and it didn't help his case calling us deluded and we all talk Bow Locks. Maybe it was down to not having the right players, rumours of wingers being signed is encouraging. I like to see full backs overlapping our wingers, if next season that is the case I'll be right behind Big Sam. Am I fickle ? Too f#cking right I am !

If you go on a date, and you've already decided that you don't fancy the bird, then it doesn't really matter how well the date goes...you not going to want to marry her are you!

Sometimes you've got to take 1 step back before you can take two forward, Allardyce has done some very good things this season along with some that smacked of a little bit of arrogance. In your post, you've only really mentioned the negatives.

Along with what you've said, he's also made us better defensively, he's reduced the wage bill, he's brought in some excellent players for not much money, he's added a sense of morale and team spirit that I hadn't seen for 2 years. But most importantly, and something that many of the more 'old school' fans seem to choose to ignore, but is very much part of the 'West Ham Way', he's actually motivated our young, homegrown players to not only produce some of the best form of their careers, but make them genuinely proud to play for the club and stay here.

Collison, Tomkins and Noble have all had excellent seasons. Tomkins has signed a new 5 year contract half-way through his best-ever season, in the second tier of football at the age of 23, whilst teams like Newcastle and Spurs were apparently looking at him. Even if you hate everything about Allardyce, the fact that he has got the best out of Noble, Tomkins and Collison this season (not to mention dear old Carlton who may not be homegrown, but is to all extents and purposes 'one of us') is something that we should be rightly thankful for!

Cheers Big Sam! Here's to 5 years of mid-table mediocrity and building slowly and steadily through a bedrock of excellent homegrown talent, good overseas scouting and the odd foreign mercenary in the shape of Djorkaeff, Okocha, Campo or Anelka to give us all someone to idolise!

[bristolhammerfc]

You don't have to like someone to appreciate the work they have done.

I don't like Sam.

I do however appreciate the task he has carried out. Rebuilding a team raped by Duckers, mollycoddled by Zola and demoralised by Grant. Doing his job at the first attempt (all be it by the skin of his teeth) and giving the club a good foundation to build on.

So thanks Sam, but I still don't like you or your style of football.

[rare as rockinghorse shat]

Doing his job at the first attempt (all be it by the skin of his teeth)

To be fair, regardless of the play-off final outcome, we were 1 defeat away from winning the league and finished about 10 points into the play-offs.

[bristolhammerfc]

Actually that's a decent point

[HammerTel]

Apart from that G+S split the proceeds from the SBOBET Cup 50/50 with The Bobby Moore Fund and the Academy,when they used to give The Bobby Moore Fund 100% of the profit from the Bobby Moore Cup thus attendances have gone down and 50% of the proceeds are lost,that`s pretty despicable when you consider G+S are worth £850M between them!

[dapablo]

Hammertel go away with your anti G&S attitude, it's all old news anyway for the majority, as someone has already said this isn't the right thread.

Brizzle it's okay to not like the man, I'm sure lots don't think they'd enjoy a drink with him but I'm sure you would concede it has nothing to do with his ability to do a job, the players appear to be comfortable with him though.

[bristolhammerfc]

Dapablo,

I thought that's what I did

[dapablo]

I thought that's what I did

You did I was mirroring and just confirming acceptability as I believe some get confused between the personal and the football.

We pay far to much attention to the personality cult, because we think we "don't like" someone we create a universe of faults to justify our often baseless dislikes. If he was pretty and witty he wouldn't have half the detractors he has.

I dislike most people in equal measure, I don't see a reason to dislike him more than anyone else.

[Hammer110]

I must say I always find myself in the minority when it comes to liking or disliking people I don't know and that is unless they are truly despicable scumbags, I won't pass judgement on them. I don't know Sam, have never met him so to me he is just the bloke who happens to be managing our club and doing a fairly good job so far.

[adie]

I don't dislike Big Sam personally, I don't know him personally, I just don't like his style of management or the way he talks about our club and fans. I certainly don't care whether he's pretty or witty that's not what I look for in a manager, I certainly don't hate him cos he's fat, I might use the word fat when insulting him but that's a simple way to insult him, I call Frank Lampard a fat b*stard and he ain't even fat. I'll grin and bare it that he's our manager cos I know the way football is he won't be here for too long if the results go Pete Tong but on the plus side if he's still here in 5 years that will be cos he's getting results, so happy days.

[RyanWHUFC]

Can honestly say I think towards the end of the season he had us playing much better football, really enjoyable to watch, some good passing moves etc, also like the way he was singing bubbles at the end of both the Wembley game and the Cardiff play off final 2nd leg.
He has done exactly what the board has asked of him, albeit it was through the play offs but it must be remembered we were clear of fourth by 10 points and was 1 win away from automatic promotion.

[kthammer]

We played more 'good football' last season than we have for years. Not enough of it, but all the signs by the end of the season were that we are more than capable and willing to pass the ball when it will work. Add some more quality and flair to the group of players and I think we will enjoy some good passages of play next season. Yes, we have to get the ball down and play in the Prem because otherwise we will get murdered. One of the reasons Swansea survived was because they were able to keep the ball and so stop better clubs from punishing them.

[Adam 'The Smudge']

It was a brave decision to come to us. Irrespective of the farce that surrounded the Club, Avram and Martin Oneil after last Xmas, he could have said b*llocks to us and waited for the inevitable Prem vacancy but he joined us and we're fortunate he did.
We looked fitter than we had for a while and whilst he had to rebuild he also had to blend the players into a team from the off. He had no time at all to bed down.
It was a difficult season for us as we lacked the know how or the players to dominate weaker opposition. The players and Sam had to learn as they went. It was a similar story throughout the season and whilst Reading with lower expectations and less to lose enjoyed that title winning run and Southampton, even less expectation after promotion, enjoyed large slices of fortune, we had to battle the odds.
Sam delivered and I'm grateful for him.

[steveyrockstar]

Can honestly say I think towards the end of the season he had us playing much better football, really enjoyable to watch.

this.

basically once he settled on his strongest side, and stopped playing strikers in unfamiliar positions

I was actually quite impressed by the formation, it seemed very dynamic