Forum | General Discussion

What is the difference between David Moyes and Sam Allardyce? Essentially, wealth, both men have been rewarded well in their football management careers for serving up 'percentage football. Principally viewing the fixture list at the beginning of the season and working out which games were winnable and which were not, then by concentrating on the winnable games they were able to attain the percentage points ration to survive and even thrive.

So generally over seeing 'pragmatic' football has been the cornerstone for both men and has served them well, however pragmatism is a finite resource when it comes to the Barclays Premier League, and David Moyes' attempts at recreating his 'dogs of war' mentality that enshrined his Everton teams will be West Ham United's downfall.

It is understandable that a manager would wish to 'preserve' certain players, especially bearing in mind that the games in July start on the Ist against Chelsea, swiftly followed by Newcastle 5th, Burnley 8th, Norwich 11th, Watford 15th and Manchester Utd on the 18th before the final game against Aston Villa on the 26th. What is the point though in holding players back for fear of injury or burn out when so little time remains?

It may be a pragmatic course of action that has worked in the past, but these are unique times, the players do not have the 12th man urging them on, and many have had no experience of a no holds barred fight to the relegation finish. At least if Moyes gives it a go and the club does still go down fans will have seen some effort, instead there is a distinct possibility that the club will disappear down the tubes without a fight and just a whimper.

The time for playing safe is over, play 4-3-3 put out the best players there are at the club, and not worry if the 'poor little darlings' hurt themselves, chances are half of them will jump ship if the worst happens, so why not get them to earn their vast wages for a few games? Unless we are completely out of touch, we at the Org are of the opinion that most fans would prefer to see the club go down all guns blazing rather than presenting a damp squib in the face of the 'enemy'.

Before anyone says "are but Haller's not fit", so what? Remember Psycho when he broke his leg in the first half of the match between West Ham and Watford, he carried on until half-time and even readied himself for the second half. “He put his boot back on and said ‘I’ll give it a go’,” said manager 'H' Redknapp. If Psycho can try to 'run off' a broken leg, surely all 6'4" of Haller can try to 'run off' a hip injury that somehow managed to transmogrify itself in to a groin injury. Christ sake's there are only seven games remaining! Poor old Alvin Martin used to have a courtesone injection before very match just to get him through, and 'Bonzo' could not play his 800th game because he was told he would lose his big toe, possibly his foot, if he played one more time.

Isn't it time, from the management through to the players, to man up? The time for pragmatism has long gone, every single remaining game is vital, it doesn't matter how you win, just win, and if you can't at least fans will know their team tried their hardest for them, it's the least they deserve! - Ed

West Ham United's interrupted Barclays Premier League season finally grinds to a halt on Sunday the 26th of July at the Bowl of Misery with a game against fellow relegation candidates Aston Villa, by which time one or both clubs will either sink or swim, their respective fates may well be out of their hands by then anyway!

Due to the remaining FA Cup matches that have to be played, David Moyes' team do not play until the 'home' fixture against Chelsea on the 1st of July, fortunatley Chelsea have not only the FA Cup but are also still in the hunt for European competition, champions league picks has them well placed, after that the games come fast and furious..six games in eighteen days! Chelsea 1st, Newcastle 5th, Burnley 8th, Norwich 11th, Watford 15th and Manchester Utd on the 18th. Considering how difficult it has been to assemble a fully fit team for any part of the season, the medical staff will have to work miracles in order to be able to provide the players required for the relegation dog fight that awaits, bearing in mind their previous record things do not bode well.

After two friendlies ahead of project restart everything seemed to be rosy, the the inevitable Hammers injury curse struck, it was common knowledge that Angelo Ogbonna was having fitness difficulties, but suddenly record signing Sebastian Haller picked up an injury that was first described as a hip injury but was later re diagnosed as a groin injury, make your mind up medical team! Simultaneously club stalwart Robert Snodgrass 'picked up' a back injury that now appears will keep him out for the remainder of the season, what was he picking up that forced the injury, a double decker bus?

Unfortunately the immediate future looks rather bleak ahead of the Chelsea game, let's see why. Promising youngster Jeremy Ngakia has jumped ship and sold his soul, Ogbonna is still a doubt as is Haller and Snoddy is out, therefore essentially four out of the ten outfield players who showed some signs of form prior to the season's suspension will NOT be available for the forthcoming 'run in'. It's not really a run in is it? More like an unassisted parachute jump without a back up, if West Ham need 'something' against Villa on the last day of the season to survive it would be par to the course of what has been a truly miserable experience.

Hopes of flying high may have to be held for future games against the likes of other fallen giants like Forest and Derby once the club is in the Championship, but at least they have both won the equivalent to the Champion's League! - Ed

With just seven games remaining of the restarted Barclays Premier League, many Hammers fans are starting to panic! Had it not been for other results going in the team's favour, the Irons would have been in the bottom three by now, as it is they are only surviving by the narrowest of goal differences.

Which ever way you look at it David Moyes' 'second coming' has not panned out the way he, or the club had intended, his current win ratio WILL see the club relegated. Some will say that he inherited an over paid and bloated squad, but no one forced him to take the job on, perhaps he underestimated just how 'lax' the squad had become under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini, is this why Moyes has failed to make an impression this time? Or is it maybe his back room staff?

There is an old adage that goes along the lines of 'be careful with how you treat people on the way up, because you are sure as hell going to meet them on the way down!' When he replaced Slaven Billic, the first time Moyes took over at West Ham he concentrated on fitness, he was abley abetted by Stuart Pearce on the training pitch and during games. The sight of an agitated 'Pyscho' Pearce on the touch line, temple throbbing and spouting out 'encouragement', was enough to inspire players to go the extra mile.

Following the potential arrival of Pellegrini, Pearce was informed that his services would no longer be required, the rest of the back room staff were also informed that they would not get new contracts. Pearce went back to his 'day job' as a pundit, during one Talk Sport broadcast he made certain honest observations as to how the club was being run by David Sullivan and the rest of the Hammers' hierarchy.

Not known for their forgiving natures, the 'two David's' marked Psycho's card, so when David Moyes was re-appointed as manager and asked for Stuart Pearce to rejoin his back room staff, he was promptly told that Pearce was a persona non grata' as far as they and the club were concerned, with end result being Kevin Nolan instead! Now 'Chicken Kiev' was never known for his dedication to fitness, it is fair to say that he also had a propensity to either get injured or suspended just in time for the Christmas festivities, he may have played well for the club during his tenure as a player, but as an assistant to the manager?

So essentially, bringing David Moyes back may have been a mistake, bringing Kevin Nolan was a mistake, NOT bringing Stuart Pearce back was most definitely a mistake, so what other big mistake is waiting to happen? Well, 'the elephant in the room', and we are sure he has been called a lot worse in his life, is Sam Allardyce!

Big Sam has never been relegated from the Premier League, but even he will have difficulty in keeping the sinking ship afloat with so few games remaining. We are of the opinion Moyes will get the club relegated, Big Sam might just possibly drag the club from the jaws of relegation, but as we have recently seen, going backwards to go forwards doesn't always work. What's it to be, Sink or swim? The Devil or the Deep Blue Sea ? - Ed
Let us know your thoughts..

As the Irons were 'going through the motions' as they played out the remaining minutes of their 2-0 defeat by Tottenham, apart from brushing off old copies of the A-Z for directions to obscure grounds that may well have to be visited, discussion at the Org was swiftly moving on to the inevitable media fall out that would follow.
Sure enough there was the usual Moyes out, Anderson's useless let's hope the club gets taken over and all the other 'standard' comments rolled out after a West Ham United defeat, which is sadly a very common experience of late!

This time, in addition to the usual trite observations the inevitable started to creep in to people's twitter, twatter, instant mash and all the other face space stuff accounts (we don't cut and paste them, there are plenty of others that do), and that is the call of the dinosaur! Step forward Big Sam Allardyce, yep the same Big Sam 'released' by the club who was most recently employed by Everton to keep them in the top flight.

Now retro is the 'in thing' when it comes to car design, the Mini, the Fiat 500 and the VW Beetle have all been reintroduced to the gullible public, Mutton dressed as Lamb? Possibly so, privately the design teams must at least be just a little embarrassed by their lack of forward thinking, the same can apply to football club owners. This unique band of people have the happiness and joy of thousands of people in their grasp, they moan they groan but they still love the Power and prestige it gives them.

The Hammers hierarchy are no different, they seek acknowledgement and thanks that they are never going to receive, and yet still they persist with their ownership. They tried to go large by employing Manuel Pellegrini, and when that ended up disastrously they had to bring David Moyes back to the club to stay in the top flight, he insisted on a caveat in his contract that 'guaranteed' him at least 18 months in the job.

Moyes' return to West Ham has not had the same effect as when he first turned up at the London Stadium, the club have only won two matches since he replaced Pellegrini and there is a groundswell of opinion that he has to go. So who is the Barclays Premier League's go to manager to avoid relegation? None other than Big Sam!

Sam Allardyce has been out of work since being 'dumped' by Everton despite keeping them in the top flight, in fact Allardyce has never been relegated from the Barclays Premier League in all his various tenures, so could he be called on? David Sullivan and Co will be desperate to keep the club up, but it may be too late, even for Big Sam to save the club now.

The gap might be too much to bridge, even for Big Sam. -Ed
What do you think?...