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Sam Allardyce keeps job as West Ham manager but told to play better football Sam Allardyce keeps job as West Ham manager but told to play better football
(35 minutes later)
Sam Allardyce will remain at West Ham United going into next season despite vociferous calls from sections of the club’s support for his dismissal, with the Londoners’ board to grant their manager funds this summer to strengthen his squad and add to his back-room staff. Sam Allardyce will remain West Ham’s manager going into next season despite vociferous calls from sections of the club’s support for his dismissal, with the board insistent improvements are made to the team’s style of play to provide “more entertainment” in future while also demanding a top-half finish.
West Ham’s manager of three years steered the team to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup, where they were humiliated by Manchester City, and a 13th place finish this term despite flirting with relegation for long periods, but had been in limbo after meeting with the club’s hierarchy last week to seek assurances over his future and discuss plans for the closed season. Those talks with the co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold, together with the vice-chairman Karren Brady, had ended with the board ruling they needed more time to consider their options ahead of a further meeting this week. The London club’s manager of three years steered the team to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup and a 13th place finish this month despite flirting with relegation for long periods, but had been in limbo after meeting with the club’s hierarchy last week to seek assurances over his future. Those talks with the co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold and the vice-chairman Karren Brady had ended with the board ruling they needed more time to consider their options ahead of a further meeting this week.
Yet, having contemplated alternatives for the role, the owners spoke with Allardyce on Tuesday and confirmed he will retain his position, albeit with considerable demands placed on what they expect of the team next season. The 59-year-old has a year to run on his contract at Upton Park and, while there are no plans to negotiate longer terms, he will have funding to add to the playing ranks – the signing of at least one forward will be targeted this summer – and will re-jig his back-room staff in an attempt to muster an attacking style of play that will appease an increasingly disgruntled support. Yet, having contemplated alternatives for the role, the owners spoke with Allardyce on Tuesday and confirmed he will retain his position, albeit with considerable demands placed on what they expect of the team next season. The 59-year-old has a year to run on his contract at Upton Park and, while there are no plans to negotiate longer terms, he will have funding to add to the playing ranks – the signing of at least one forward will be targeted this summer – and will add an attacking coach to his backroom staff in an attempt to muster an attacking style of play that will appease an increasingly disgruntled support.
In a joint statement on the club’s website, the co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold said: “We have a very clear vision of how we want West Ham United to operate under our joint ownership. Although not everybody understands the West Ham Way, we do and we respect it as we have been supporters all our lives. We believe this is about a philosophy that is not just about the style of play, but the whole ethos that surrounds the Club. In a statement released by the club, the board confirmed talks had taken place to discuss the “values and philosophy” to be implemented at Upton Park, and had “insisted on improvements to the set-up of the playing and backroom staff to ensure the team provides more entertainment next season”. Allardyce will comply with the proposed changes to his coaching staff, as well as an overhaul of the recruitment operation that will see the board have a greater involvement in the players signed. The hierarchy will seek evidence of “progression on the pitch and at least a top 10 finish” in return for their show of faith.
“Sam was asked to give us a detailed presentation on his vision for next season and during this he assured us that he can deliver that ethos to West Ham United and we have agreed to support him with the resources that he needs. We have mapped out a way forward with him that will ensure our much-deserving fans have more to cheer about next season. “We have a very clear vision of how we want West Ham United to operate under our joint ownership,” said Gold and Sullivan in the joint statement. “Although not everybody understands the West Ham Way, we do and we respect it as we have been supporters all our lives. We believe this is about a philosophy that is not just about the style of play, but the whole ethos that surrounds the club.
“We should also stress, though, that while improvements do need to be made, Sam deserves credit for the job he has done thus far after securing promotion in his first year and two respectable Premier League finishes in the two years thereafter. We have also seen the likes of Mark Noble, James Tomkins and Winston Reid all make huge progress under his management, which in turn contributed to our impressive record of 14 clean sheets last season. “Sam was asked to give us a detailed presentation on his vision for next season and, during this, he assured us that he can deliver that ethos to West Ham United and we have agreed to support him with the resources that he needs. We have mapped out a way forward with him that will ensure our much-deserving fans have more to cheer about next season.”
“The truly historic opportunity of a move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016 forms a major part of our five-year strategy to take this Club forward and, while we have a duty to make sure we stay in the Premier League, we also want to make sure the performances on the pitch will befit a team playing in such a world-renowned stadium. Allardyce suggested in the statement that he was enthused by the prospect of “taking the club forward and improving the squad for next season” despite apparently surrendering a level of influence in recruitment to the board. He has consistently pointed to the team’s survival in an ultra-competitive top flight despite what was at times a crippling injury list as reason enough to be backed, though the board was split initially as to how best to proceed. Gold, in particular, has consistently backed him, with all aware of the need to retain Premier League status given a hefty debt of around £75m and with the club’s move to the Olympic Stadium in two years’ time in mind.
“We are absolutely committed to taking West Ham United to new heights and we want to see the Club continue on an upward trajectory next season. The 2014/15 campaign is crucial to our future and we are confident that Sam has the passion, experience and determination to make sure it is a success.” Yet there was sympathy, too, with the fans’ frustrations. If four successive wins in February had allayed fears over relegation, a vocal minority of supporters had still called for the manager’s sacking with the scrappy manner of a home win against Hull City in late March actually prompting boos from the home support at the final whistle. A run of five losses in six games at the end of the season once the team were effectively safe had not strengthened his position, but a lack of viable alternatives, and the reality that Allardyce offers the best means of staying in the division, has seen him retained.
Allardyce has always been bullish about his plans despite regularly enduring discontent over the last 12 months of his tenure, with the manager pointing to the team’s survival in the topflight despite what was, at times, a crippling injury list as reason enough for optimism. Some on the board, most notably Gold, have consistently backed him, with all aware of the need to retain Premier League status given a hefty debt of around £75m and with the club’s move to the Olympic stadium in two years’ time in mind. “We should also stress that, while improvements do need to be made, Sam deserves credit for the job he has done thus far after securing promotion in his first year and two respectable Premier League finishes in the two years thereafter,” added the co-chairmen’s joint statement. “We have also seen the likes of Mark Noble, James Tomkins and Winston Reid all make huge progress under his management, which in turn contributed to our impressive record of 14 clean sheets last season.
Yet there was sympathy, too, with the fans’ frustrations. If four successive wins in February had allayed fears over relegation, a vocal minority of fans had still called for the manager’s sacking with the scrappy manner of a home win against Hull City in late March actually prompting boos from the home support at the final whistle. A run of five losses in six games at the end of the season once the team were effectively safe had not strengthened his position, but a lack of viable alternatives, and the reality that Allardyce offers the best means of staying in the division, has seen him retained. “The truly historic opportunity of a move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016 forms a major part of our five-year strategy to take this club forward and, while we have a duty to make sure we stay in the Premier League, we also want to make sure the performances on the pitch will befit a team playing in such a world-renowned stadium. We are absolutely committed to taking West Ham United to new heights and we want to see the club continue on an upward trajectory next season. The 2014-15 campaign is crucial to our future and we are confident that Sam has the passion, experience and determination to make sure it is a success.”