West Ham manager Sam Allardyce could possibly face the sack following his sides 3-1 Boxing Day home defeat to Arsenal at Upton Park.
The Hammers have now dropped deep into the relegation zone after the home defeat, and currently sit in 19th position in the top flight, with results going against them in the boxing day fixtures, with wins for Sunderland, Fulham, and recently promoted Crystal Palace, who are enjoying a resurgence in form under new manager Tony Pulis, swapping places with Allardyce’s Hammers after a 1-0 win away at Aston Villa.
Allardyce guided the East End side to promotion in the 2011/12 campaign, and overrsaw the club’s first season back in the top flight, guiding the Hammers to a 10th place finish in the Premier League, and capturing Andy Carroll on a permenant basis aswell, as the Hammers looked to push on after a fine first season.
Allardyce’s men have slipped into the bottom three after a string of poor performances which have seen the Boleyn Ground locked in a surprise battle against the drop.
After today’s defeat against their London rivals, they now have won just 1 in 11 Barclays Premier League games.
Allardyce stated…..
“We had a great opportunity to beat the top of the league team, unfortunately we didn’t take that and we paid the price.”
The Hammers have struggled massively this year, with injuries and suspentions piling up, with record signing Andy Carroll still sat on the sidelines.
The Hammers face fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion in a televised clash on Saturday afternoon, in what could be make or break for Allardyce.
We’ve got to make sure we play like we did against Arsenal – and like at Tottenham in the cup – against West Brom and Fulham,” Allardyce continued.
“When we’ve had the opportunity recently we haven’t done that, apart from against Fulham. Against Sunderland, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and Norwich we didn’t do it. That’s our key let down this season.
“If we can perform like this against the clubs around us, we will create chances and we’ve got to believe we will convert them.”
Allardyce suffered his latest injury setback when James Collins was forced off with a calf problem in the 38th minute.
“On top of all the other injuries, it’s a great concern for me,” he added. “The squad is down to 15 or 16 players so I may have to step some of youngsters in. It’s making the situation more difficult to get out of.”
Coupled with the problems, veteran Goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen has been dropped from the squad, with the Finn being replaced by Spanish keeper Adrian.
By Ben Reardon
@BenReardon1
