Much has been made of the fact that all three clubs below West Ham in the table have changed managers. This has added to the speculation that Sam Allardyce's head is next on the Premier League chopping block. It is probably worth remembering the names that make up that jobless trio. Martin Jol is a manager not renowned for inspiring teams to roll up their sleeves and fight. Ian Holloway, in his last relegation battle at Blackpool, was unsuccessful. Paolo Di Canio is Paolo Di Canio. Allardyce has a proven history of keeping teams in divisions, unless you are talking about promotions. The only blot on his record is a relegation at Notts County, where coincidentally, he took over the mess left behind by Mick Walker in January. That in itself is proof for chairmen that the grass is not always greener on the other side. Bolton enjoyed six years of Premier league stability under Allardyce. He left them fifth in the league, on the brink of Europe. Admittedly every manager has a sell-by date, but 'Big Sam' has showed few signs of losing his touch in recent years. The other two clubs he has managed since Bolton both went down after dispensing of his services - Newcastle and most hilariously Blackburn. David Gold and David Sullivan cannot surely have a better person to keep them in the division this season. Another argument is whether Allardyce should be retained beyond the end of the season. That, admittedly, is debatable. West Ham fans yearn for attractive football, and with the club soon to be moving into the Olympic Stadium, the owners will be wary of fans drifting away and leaving a half-empty ground. That is an issue best left till the end of the season, and with a few tweaks the situation is far from terminal.
I am from Bangor, aged 24, and possess an MA in Journalism from The University Of Ulster. I have had work published in the Belfast Telegraph and interviewed several local footballers and Olympic athletes. I also run my own sports blog, 'Sporting Thought' in addition to contributing to What Culture.
