J.Riddle
1:47 Tue Jan 24
Re: Bring back Allardyce
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EddieB'd from Kumb
West Ham fans almost always turn against their own, says former boss
By Staff Writer Tuesday, 17th January 2023
Former West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce says the club's fanbase is particularly unique in English football.
However that, according to the man who spent three years in charge at Upton Park between 2011 and 2014, is not always a positive for the manager in the dugout - especially what results are not particularly favourable.
Speaking in an interview with the TWS Sports Podcast, Allardyce - who is currently unemployed - was asked to explain how he dealt with negativity from the terraces during his career.
"That's the West Ham fans," he replied. "I think that they are renowned for their type of support, if you like. Sometimes, if things are going great, it's alright. Sometimes if it's not going great, they turn against the manager.
"It's not just me, it's most of the managers that West Ham have had. It's not personal, it's just that they don't like the particular period that you're going through and if you're not winning, they show their disapproval.
"You can't take offence to that, what you've got to do is improve results. But in terms of my time at West Ham, I didn't quite understand that because we never had a bad time. I took them up [to the Premier League], we won in the play-offs in my first season and we were building a stronger team season year in, year out."
And defending his record during his three-year tenure at West Ham, which he classes as one of his most enjoyable during a long and varied career, Allardyce added: "I think the lowest we finished was 11th in three seasons and we were slowly strengthening the squad.
"We weren't spending big money because they were moving into a new stadium. So there wasn't a lot of big money around to spend, but the journey we had at West Ham was one of my best."
While he frequently had to endure criticism regarding the style of football his teams played, Allardyce's tenure at West Ham only began to turn sour after he famously cupped his ear towards critics on the terraces following a dour victory against ten-man Hull City.
"What a small minority of fans do, to you as a player and to you as a manager, is quite scary because the small minority can influence the vast majority and can influence the press particularly," he said. "And too many people listen to the small minority.
"The majority don't complain. The majority don't hold banners up saying, "brilliant Sam, well done". There's only a small minority that create a little bit of upset that gets picked up on social media and gets picked up by the press and then evolves from there.
"I find it very sad. Look at Harry McGuire at this moment In time. Fantastic England centre half, best defender for England at the World Cup and the Euros, brilliant defender for Man United,
"Now, he's getting hounded out by everyone - by pundits on the radio, ex-players, by social media, by the press. They're actually doing the best to destroy him. That's a great shame, but that's what happens in this country sometimes."
Yet despite being the target of the boo-boys on occasions, Allardyce claimed it was 'water off a duck's back' to him. "If you're in my position, you learn to deal with that," he added. "I talk about two skins - I have two skins, right! When I need to be tough I have an elephant skin and a rhinoceros skin - and it 's that thick, nobody can get through it."
Despite the negative aspects of his time at West Ham, Allardyce cites one particular incident involving Swansea defender Chico Flores as one of the favourite moments from his entire managerial career.
The Spanish defender fell to the floor in mock agony during a goalless draw at the Liberty Stadium in October 2013 right in front of the Hammers boss, who responded by roaring with laughter - much to the player's disdain.
"Well Chico squealed like a little baby when he got tackled," laughed Allardyce. "So I started laughing because I was a centre half and if I'd have started squealing like that, my manager would've beat me up!
"He'd have said, 'what are you doing you big softy, get up and get on with it! Stop squealing and moaning.' So I just decided to laugh in his face. Now I was really hoping he might punch me because then we could've got him sent off. But he didn't.
"What I didn't realise - and this is social media for you - I went to the press conference after and they said, 'have you seen you're trending, Sam?' And I went, 'Pardon?'
"I didn't know what that was so I went back to our dressing room and said to our analysts 'something's trending about me on social media' - so they pulled it up and showed it to the lads and we all started laughing. It was good fun."
And Allardyce admitted that it was not only opposition players who he enjoyed winding up. "I used to get under one or two managers' skins too, " he said, while mentioning former boss Jose Mourinho, who he enjoyed one very public spat with back in January 2014 following a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge. "And in all honesty, I really quite enjoyed it in the end."
So following a long and varied career, which took in clubs such as Bolton, West Brom and Newcastle plus a brief (yet unbeaten) spell as England boss in 2016, you may be forgiven for thinking English football may have seen the last of 'Big Sam'.
However when asked if that was the case, the 68-year-old hinted that there may be life in the old dog yet. "You never say never," he replied. "Whether I come back or not, who knows? Wait and see
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