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Is Big Sam next for the chop?

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Head-scratching: Allardyce is 'dumbfounded' after his unexpected sacking

West Ham are sitting just above the drop zone, only staying ahead of Crystal Palace on goal difference. There were signs early on that the Hammers had some good performances in them that would keep them further up the table. Their striker-less formation against Spurs produced a shock and gave the fans some hopes that the mistakes that were made in the summer wouldn’t hurt the club.

The problem was this performance really was a one off! Now West Ham have a relegation battle on the cards and to make matters worse, the two other obvious candidates for the drip have begun to turn things around. Palace under Pulis are now starting to win games, and Sunderland with Poyet pulling the strings are still struggling to get points but have had huge change in levels of commit on the pitch.

The London side can look back at two summer signings that have caused the problems with their current standing. Signing Andy Carroll for the sum of £15M was a huge gamble. When clubs like Norwich are picking up Hooper for a third of that, it really makes the signing of the former Liverpool and Newcastle target man something of a financial mistake. To make matters worse for the club, an injury to Carroll  has left him out of the proceedings so far.

The second part of the failed gamble was the signing of Stewart Downing. The plan surely was to have a man outside who could deliver for the target man, but of course with no target man and no other options up front Downing is just not a good option for the team. The funds used to get the England wide man should have been used to bring in a backup for Carroll.

Now West Ham continue to struggle with no attacking options and with Carroll still some ways off before being fit, the outlook is very bleak. The club now has to make a decision on what the next steps should be in order to keep the side safe. Either let Big Sam go and bring in someone else who can light a spark or wait for Carroll to return and ensure there are funds in the window to allow the side to get another striking option.

With Carroll training again, a new manager may not be the right option for the club. Big Sam has been dealt a bad hand and there is a good chance that it wouldn’t matter who was on the touchlines at the moment. Unfortunately for the former Bolton manager, the club may not look at the common sense approach and may instead decide to look for a quick fix and a fresh face. Nonetheless, whatever decision is made, the run in to the end of the season will be a tough, long battle for West Ham.

You can follow Tommy Kinsman on Twitter: @TommyKinsman

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  • Gary says:

    Seems like every single west ham article is almost identical. Agree with ur comments and its gunna be tough whoever manages us but I feel Sam’s time is up now. I’m sik of hearing same old excuses!

  • JH says:

    No one seems to remember that the second season is the slippery one. I think we have enough in the squad, plus a decent striker in January to be safe, and next season we will be stronger for this. Knee jerk reaction to booting Sam out will only leave us in an even more dangerous position and probably relegated.

    I’m not a fan of Sam and his style, but I do think these kind of battles are the stuff Sam is made of, not pretty but effective. He will turn it round.

    Perhaps look at a fresh face once we are safe!

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