After a one-year absence, we welcome back West Ham fan Ollie Dearn to LFW for a fulsome run-down on the latest goings on at Upton Park.

Assess last season for us - some big defeats during an injury crisis, a relegation struggle through the winter, a late rally, but certainly still some dissatisfaction at the end, how did you see it?

The fact I’m struggling to remember most of it probably sums it up. It was a thoroughly underwhelming — boring, actually — season supporting a club that, for better or worse, usually provides the opposite.

That’s not to say there weren’t highlights, but they were few and far between — namely doing the treble over Spurs, especially at their own gaff (although we did our best to ruin it with that awful and fate-tempting ‘treble’ merchandise range) and the battling 0-0 at Stamford Bridge that ruffled Mourinho and saw Sam Allardyce give one of the funniest (if not the wittiest) rebukes to The Special One all season (“I don’t give a shite!”).

Those moments aside, it was dire. For the first time in my life, going to Upton Park seemed like a chore rather than an enjoyable release from the rest of life’s general mundaneness. Allardyce gets a lot of criticism about his style of play and a lot of it is unfair — the long ball myth persists to this day, but chuck shit at a wall for long enough and some of it will stick. But it wasn’t so much that our style was boring - we’d had an enjoyable season playing the same way previously. For me at least, it was the downright bloody negativity in our play. The home game versus Hull, which we won, summed it up: 1-0 and a man up after 25 minutes, at home, versus Hull, we sat back, created nothing, let them come at us, and tried to hold on to the one goal lead. If you’d have turned up after half an hour, you would have thought we were a man down, not them. Of course, they equalised just after half time, and the frustration boiled over. In the end we won through a calamitous own goal, but it was the first time I’ve seen a team booed off the pitch having won the game.

I won’t dissect our struggles last year in too much detail, but throwing all our eggs into one Andy Carroll-shaped broken basket wasn’t the wisest move, and re-signing an unfit Carlton Cole was the equivalent of trying to carry all those eggs down the road using only your hands. In the end, we survived relatively safely and I don’t think there was ever really a genuine belief from the fan base that we’d actually go down. The second season back does seem to be harder than the first, and at least we avoided relegation which, with Stratford on the horizon, would have been an absolute disaster. But it wasn’t fun.

Was Sam Allardyce lucky to keep his job through last season and the summer or not? Are you in the for or against camp when it comes to him?

I like Allardyce. He has, to be fair, done everything asked of him. He brought some pride back to the club when it desperately needed it. The team spirit seems to be the strongest it’s been in a long time. I like his Northern, no bullshit attitude. I like his bloody-mindedness. I just like the guy. I can’t help it. I have my issues, obviously, but nothing terminal.

Was he lucky to keep his job? I don’t know. It seemed that Karen Brady and David Gold backed him (the latter despite that ridiculous story about him favouriting a ‘Sack Allardyce’ Tweet. That’s a 78 year-old dyslexic man just off a flight back from New Zealand pressing the wrong bit of an iPhone screen. Fuck, I do that often enough without any of those factors) while David Sullivan — surprise, surprise — had itchier feet. I’m sure they had the discussion. In the end, they backed him and stood by their word, so credit to them for that, especially with some of the managerial madness that was going down last season. And hey, they’ve been vindicated. Look at Fulham.

Despite being a consistent ‘backer’, I do remember last season saying to my dad, who I go with, that things can get to a stage between a manager and a fanbase that renders anything other than parting ways impossible. I don’t think the board ever really wanted to get rid — their overriding ambition, understandably, is Premier League football come the start of the 2016/17 season, and Allardyce will deliver that — but I think they would have done had things got suitably toxic. And I don’t think Sam was too far away from that.

Either way, you could realistically see him getting a contract extension at the end of the season. His current deal is up come May and assuming this year goes well, I can’t see anyone who matters wanting the instability change brings the year before we move down the road — something that would have seemed utterly improbable as little as four months ago.

What did you make of all the "attacking football" rhetoric from the club over the summer? Just a PR move to sell season tickets, or has it genuinely happened?

I think they meant it. When criticised, the reaction from Allardyce’s camp last year was, well, he’s done everything you’ve asked of him (‘…so shut up’ having been hastily removed from the end of that sentence by some PR person). And that’s absolutely what I would have been saying in his position.

As I’ve said, I don’t think the board wanted to get rid — but they did recognise the need for change, hence the statements over the summer. It was…odd, but it makes some sense — not an ultimatum per se (for a start, how do you accurately judge it? —which is probably partially the point), but certainly a strong hint that both appeased a cynical fanbase, to an extent, and gave Allardyce a bit of a warning without actively slagging him off. It was minimal risk — either it works, and they get to keep their man, or it doesn’t and they have fairer grounds to make a change.

Has it worked? Well, it’s early days, but the signs are good. I have no idea how much influence appointing Teddy Sheringham as ‘attacking coach’ has had (if any of this was a PR move, that was it — but working in PR as I do, I see the value in it), but our recruitment policy has had a radical overhaul. Since day one, Allardyce’s hiring criteria have been experience, reliability and physical presence. Nothing wrong with that in the short term, but do it over the course of three or four seasons — as he has — and you end up with an ageing, slightly cumbersome, fairly uncreative squad from which to pick. Having already read all of your questions, I know the squad one is coming up next so I won’t spoil that completely — but it was the best window we’ve had in a long time, perhaps since the system was introduced. Youth, speed, creativity…it added almost everything we were lacking.

Following on from that (perhaps because he now has the tools at his disposal to do so), this season has seen a marked shift in style. The long ball stuff has never been as bad as the media and opposition managers have made out, but we’re making a concerted effort to keep the ball on the floor more. We’re playing with two up top — both of whom are more suited to that style of play than Carroll. We’re not just getting balls out wide, getting crosses in and looking to win the second ball. Of our two real wingers, one (Matt Jarvis) has been injured and the other (Stewart Downing) has been moved into the middle, becoming one of our most creative and best performers so far this season. The effective but basic James Collins has been overlooked in favour of the far more footballer-y James Tomkins. We’re playing out from the back rather than having Adrian lump it downfield. Best of all, it’s working. It’s become fun again.

We’ve actually not had as good a start as people seem to think, but we are playing well and are up on points compared to corresponding fixtures last year. For what is a big shift in mentality, we’ve taken to it much quicker than I expected us to. I’ve enjoyed watching us in every game this year, bar Southampton at home — which we’ll mark down as an off day. I left Old Trafford (well okay, The Dolphin in Hackney where they were showing it on TV, but humour me), having lost 2-1, much happier than I did leaving Upton Park when we beat Hull last year. And I think that sums it up.

Assess the summer transfer business for us - who came in, who left, who do you like, who don't you like?

As I say, it was a great window. Priorities were strikers (to ease the reliance on Andy Carroll who, to bastardise an oft-heard jibe, would have been sent to The Great Stable in the Sky a while ago were he a horse), full-backs and some creativity in midfield — all of which we addressed.

We’re probably a centre back short but that aside, no complaints from me. We certainly have a stronger, more-balanced squad than we did this time last year. Out the door were Modibo Maiga (a collective apology from West Ham United is probably necessary here: SORRY), Jack Collison (nice lad and sad to see him go but, emotion aside, the right call), and a lot of the older, fringier players: Joe Cole, George McCartney, Matty Taylor, Alou Diarra. Oh, and the various panicky loans we’d made in January.

Oh, and Mo Diame, who I’d almost forgotten about; testament to his input post year one. As an aside, watch him have a storming first year at Hull then blend into the background again. Shame — there’s a player in there if he could be arsed playing for anyone other than one of the big clubs he thinks he deserves to be at.

Last out was Ravel Morrison. Where to start? I suspect he’ll end up on the ‘shame’ pile too. Take that however you want — it probably works either way.

So there we go: lots of deadwood out, but leaving us quite thin. Luckily, we did make some signings too.

In defence: two young, English, attack-orientated full-backs. Aaron Creswell came in from Ipswich and was a bit of an unknown, despite making the Championship team of the year last season. He’s settled in brilliantly and is fast becoming a bit of a fans’ favourite — one of those nice but rare full-backs that likes getting forward without completely disregarding defence. Early days, but that could be his spot for years to come. Carl Jenkinson from Arsenal was a bit of a coup — I’m sure there were a few teams in for him. He got injured in pre-season so is yet to start a league match, but with the solid if unspectacular Guy Demel finding 90 minutes increasingly laborious, he can’t be too far off. He seems genuinely pleased to be here, too — which is nice, for what is a bit of a backwards career move.

In midfield: Cheikhou Kouyaté, signed for £8m early on in the window, looked like a very Allardyce-like acquisition. He was another of those who was a bit of an unknown, although the noises from the continent when we picked him up were positive at least. He’s been outstanding — probably our stand out performer this year, until his injury against Liverpool . Vieira-esque in stature and style, that £8m is already looking like a bargain. We also signed Alex Song from Barcelona , somehow. Whoever persuaded him to trade Catalonia for Newham should be given a crack at the Middle East gig. Still getting up to full fitness but already looks a class above anything else we have. Let’s enjoy it while it lasts. Diego Poyet — Gus’ son — also came in from Charlton. Undoubtedly one for the future, but he looks a silky little player. Lovely touch, good awareness and didn’t seem fazed when chucked in at Old Trafford last weekend. With Kouyaté out, he might get a few more chances over the next few weeks, but I suspect he’ll end up on loan somewhere. Looking forward to seeing how he progresses. Just to keep deadline day interesting, we signed Morgan Amalfitano, formerly of West Brom . Not the most exciting signing we made, but looks a decent option in the middle of the park.

IN ATTACK: Mauro Zarate — apparently a ‘Sulli Special’ — came in early doors. I liked the look of him at Birmingham a few years back and still do, although games can pass him by. Don’t expect he’ll get an awful lot of game time, but a nice option to have off the bench and at least a viable alternative on Kevin Nolan, whose five-year contract is looking increasingly generous. Who said Newcastle were stupid? Enner Valancia was the glamour signing, coming in for big bucks following a successful World Cup. Although you’d like to think he was on our radar before that. After a fairly low-key start, not helped by a lack of fitness, he seems to be getting there. The jury’s still out, but he’s improving every week and seems to be establishing a good partnership with Diafra Sakho, our obligatory cheap foreign striker signing. Allardyce has had a horrendous time with signing strikers since he’s been here, but finally looks to have unearthed a bit of a gem. He’s quick, strong and has an eye for goal — the chip he scored against Liverpool was no fluke, nor was a lovely backwards header against Sheffield United in the Carling-or-whatever-it-is-now Cup. In serious danger of becoming the first prolific striker of the Allardyce reign —more of the same, please.

Where is the team strong and where is it weak? If you could make a realistic signing in January who would you be looking at?

With the ever-impressive Mark Noble, Kouyaté and Song (not to mention the rejuvenated Stewart Downing at the tip of the diamond), the middle of our midfield is probably the strongest part of our team. But with Kouyaté out and Nobes facing a late fitness test, it could be one of our weaker areas come Sunday.

We’re one injury away from a crisis at centre back. Even when fully fit, we’ve looked uncharacteristically weak there this season — we’re the only team in the league not to keep a clean sheet. More Allardici than Allardyce, that. Part of that’s down to contract rebel-of-sorts Winston Reid, who looks distracted at best, disinterested at worst. That’s where I’d strengthen come January, although we do have one of the more promising-looking youngsters of recent years, Reece Burke, ready to step in if need be. He partnered Reid in the Sheffield United cup game, and actually looked the more established of the two.

On top of that that, Adrian’s had a decidedly shaky start to the season in goal. He looks increasingly like an accident waiting to happen — here’s hoping it’s a blip, not a return to form after a good debut year.

How has the first two months gone? Has the bright started improved Big Sam's popularity rating?

Promisingly and enjoyably; much of the detail of which I’ve already covered. There’s always going to be an anti-Allardyce contingent at West Ham, but good results and good football will keep them at bay. There’s an ‘Allardyce: Stick or Twist’ thread over on Knees Up Mother Brown, which started in November last year and has reached almost 1500 pages — and while not always the most glowing snapshot of us as a fanbase, it is a useful barometer of fan feeling. And the twisters have gone very quiet recently. We seem to be, finally, at ease with Big Sam. Let’s hope it lasts. Many are keeping an eye on how he integrates Carroll and Nolan back into the team, for example — two players who have, rightly or wrongly, come to represent the worst of our ‘old style’. But carry on how we’ve started, and I don’t think there’ll be too many begrudging him a new contract.

How do you feel about the impending move from the club's home at Upton Park, into the big wide expanses of the Olympic Stadium?

Once London (and more pertinently, Stratford ) won the Olympics, we had no choice but to move into the Olympic Stadium. If it wasn’t us, it would have been someone else, and I don’t know whether the club could have survived that long term. It was an absolute no-brainer; an opportunity we simply had to take, as gut-wrenching as it’ll be to leave Upton Park.

It obviously ticks a lot of boxes: increased capacity, more corporate seats, excellent infrastructure and travel connections. It’ll be a bumpy ride — I’d guess we’ll have a good few years of low attendances and a weird atmosphere. But it gives us a huge advantage long term, especially with clubs being locked into the status quo through financial fair play, and I think it’s a great opportunity to move up a level as a club. Like her or not, Brady’s a canny businesswoman and I’m confident she’ll make it work for us, as is pretty much her sole responsibility at the moment.

There are a lot of questions still to be answered about how we make it feel like our home, but I’m confident that’ll be sorted ahead of time. The retractable seating was a must (although to be fair, the stadium does actually feel surprisingly intimate when you’re inside, even before the work started), the roof looks like it’ll generate a good atmosphere, and there’s talk of reconfiguring the seats to create giant crossed hammers. There was talk of replacing all the black and white seats with claret and blue ones, but a cost of about £5m for that alone saw the board baulk — a bit of a shame, given it’s a long-term investment, would have had a disproportionally big effect (especially if the place isn’t full) and that we’ve got the stadium for next to nothing. Next year will be emotional, but I’m looking forward to the move.

Short, medium and long term aims for West Ham.

Short: No relegation until Stratford (and have some fun in the process).

Medium: make the transition over as seamless as possible, make it feel like our home and establish the club on a solid foundation a la Everton, and build from there.

Long term, who knows — it depends largely on how successful the move is and whether Gold & Sullivan retain ownership. Either way, I’d be worried if I was Spurs — and I think that’s something we can all get on-board with.

The Twitter @olliedearn, @loftforwords

The Pictures — Action Images

Photo: Action Images

Kaos_Agent added 03:25 - Oct 3 Thanks for that Clive. QPR fans who don't read these oppo interviews are missing out. If Ollie is not running his own version of LoftForWords, then he should be. "We also signed Alex Song from Barcelona , somehow. Whoever persuaded him to trade Catalonia for Newham should be given a crack at the Middle East gig."
0

francisbowles added 11:08 - Oct 3 Thanks Clive and Ollie. I agree with above comment. A valuable part of the pre match build up. Hopefully, our club has spotted the weaker areas mentioned by Ollie but maybe not so somebody send them a link to this! This piece has given me a liitle hope for Sunday!
0

TacticalR added 19:12 - Oct 3 Thanks to Ollie. When West Ham came up they didn't look a good team (although they had no trouble getting one over on Mark Hughes), and then they seemed hamstrung by the endless wait for Andy Carroll. It sounds as though things are coming together for them, although it seems a bit weird that the board has had to 'order' Allardyce to play better football.
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Queens Park Rangers Polls