Sam Allardyce is every bookie’s favorite to be the next managerial casualty in the Premier League but if you ask his bosses at West Ham United, his job is safe.
Club co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold gave Allardyce their backing in an open letter published on the Hammers’ official website, noting that injuries have left the 59-year-old manager with “a near impossible task.”
The letter read as follows:
“Like all West Ham United supporters we feel frustrated and hurt by our recent results. It is never enjoyable being knocked out of a cup competition and losing by such a large scoreline to a lower division side is hard to take for us all. We thought the youngsters gave their all and did not stop trying but, in the end, Nottingham Forest’s experience proved too much for us.
“I know Sam would have loved to have put out a more varied side, with our talented youngsters accompanied by more senior players in the starting XI. But many key players are out injured and Sam has been handed a near impossible task of coming through three crucial games in the space of six days with a squad of only 14 fit and available senior players. This is not an excuse it is a fact. We know Sam has not lost his ambition or desire and is committed to making West Ham United a great Premier League club.”
Speculation regarding Allardyce’s future has raged following a string of poor league results that has left the Hammers second from bottom, three points adrift from safety. The only manager retained from the start of the season at any of the Premier League’s bottom five clubs, Allardyce heaped more pressure on himself last weekend when his side was thrashed 0-5 by Nottingham Forest in the third round of the FA Cup.
The fairness of the West Ham owners is due the club’s injury issues. A lingering foot injury has kept record signing, Andy Carroll, from making a single appearance this season while fellow striker Ricardo Vaz Te featured in seven matches before going down with a serious shoulder issue. Defensively, the Hammers were struck a huge blow when center-back Winston Reid suffered an ankle injury in the 0-0 draw with Aston Villa on November 2nd. Since then fellow center-backs James Tomkins and James Collins also caught the injury bug, forcing Allardyce to play full-backs in the heart of his defense.
After reaching a deal to acquire Everton defender Johnny Heitinga – only for the player to then reject the move – West Ham signed Wolverhampton Wanderers center-back Roger Johnson on loan for the remainder of the season. Up top the Hammers are also making moves and expect to have Monaco’s 6’8″ Ivorian striker, Lacina Traore, in a similar six-month deal.
“Trust us, Andy Carroll is desperate to play and is ready to do his bit for the team and we are confident that the return of all of our injured players will lead to an upturn in our fortunes,” the letter continued. “Thereafter, our second priority is to bring in the new talent needed to bolster our squad in the most needed areas.
“January is not an easy time to do business but we are pleased to confirm we are close to securing one of our key striking targets. A defender is high on the list of priorities as well and progress is being made on that front. We hope to have several of our missing players back in time for Cardiff and we go there knowing that a win can get us out of the bottom three. Such is the nature of the Premier League this season; there are only six points between us and the team in 13th place. Make no mistake, though, we are under no illusions as to the seriousness of our current predicament in the Premier League.
“But on the board we have a combined talent of running football clubs and we will draw on all of our nous to get West Ham United out of this situation. We have experienced difficult times before and we know what will get us results – hard work, determination and perseverance. To that end, we are all working round the clock to do everything in our powers to help arrest our slump in form.”
As expected, Allardyce was uplifted with the backing of the owners. “I’m obviously pleased by the united front we are trying to keep in these difficult times,” said Allardyce. “It’s nice to see and hear. We all understand the difficult position and reasons why. We have to all work through it together and turn it around into positive reaction in terms of results.”
Allardyce and West Ham travel to the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday for the first-leg semi-final of the Capital One Cup before heading to Cardiff City on Saturday for a league clash with the Bluebirds.
