Filed under: West Ham, Championship, Premier League, Football
A year ago West Ham fans baulked at the idea of Sam Allardyce taking charge of their club. Now they are likely to be far more receptive - if not welcome him to Upton Park with open arms.Allardyce has agreed a two-year contract as West Ham manager and has been charged with leading the team back into the Premier League.
And although his pragmatic approach to the game would have won Allardyce few admirers at the self-proclaimed Academy of Football a season ago, after Avram Grant's dismal campaign the Hammers supporters will take almost anyone as long as they have a bit of tactical nous.
Allardyce, who has been out of work since being sacked by Blackburn Rovers in December, was on the Hammers' shortlist to replace Gianfranco Zola last term and was said to be in the running to take over from Grant after Martin O'Neill had pulled out of contention.
He confirmed his appointment by telling the Sun newspaper on Wednesday: "I look forward to taking charge after I have had a family holiday. It's always difficult dealing with the aftermath of relegation but I want to get West Ham back into the Premier League as quickly as possible."
He added on the club's official website his aim of getting West Ham back in the top flight at the first attempt. He said: "I wouldn't have taken this job if I didn't think we could bounce straight back into the Premier League.
"More than that, I wouldn't have contemplated the job if I didn't think there was the opportunity to build something substantial at West Ham. It is a fantastic club with a great tradition and loyal supporters who deserve to be in the Premier League. I can't wait to begin pre-season training as I am determined to get this club back where it belongs."
Which is all very well. But West Ham fans like to think of their club as one where the game is played in the right way. And Allardyce's comments on how they will approach the Championship will not fill them with optimism.
He added: "I know there will be West Ham fans asking whether I'm going to abandon the style of play that's been the club's heritage over the years. All I'll say is it will be a tale of home and away.
"At Upton Park we'll attempt to play the kind of passing game the fans want. We will aim to continue in the same way on our travels but we'll also be tough, hard to beat and utterly resilient."
What the former Bolton, Newcastle and Rovers manager has in his favour is experience. He has had two successful promotion campaigns, at Notts County and Bolton - and his faith in sports science and cutting-edge coaching techniques laid the foundations for Wanderers to establish themselves as Premier League regulars.
With that adherence to sports science will come a sizeable backroom staff, which will not come cheap to the West Ham owners, whose repeated refrain since taking over has been to highlight the lack of money available at the club.
The owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, have told Allardyce that although there will not be much to spend on new players, they would do their best to keep the current squad together.
And if he manages to win promotion at the first attempt - or even by the time they move to the Olympic Stadium in 2014 - then any investment will be justified.
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