Speaking after the salvaged point at Leeds, Allardyce was in bullish mood, telling journalists:
"We are third in the table and at this stage of the season you have to be pleased with that. I took over a team that finished bottom of the table last season so being third from top has to be seen as outstanding progress. I've also had a huge turnover of players during that time so I don't think anybody can be surprised that we are still trying to fit the parts of the team together. Bolton wasn't built in a day."
"We have to be pleased with the goal we scored too. We work hard on set pieces and it's always good to see one end up in the onion bag. We are also pleased with the number of times we got the ball into the opposition's penalty box. We word hard on that too. Over the summer, when we have the time, we will also be working on getting one or two of our players into the box at the same time as the ball."
"It's disappointing that Reading and Southampton won again but that's not in our control is it? I was pleased Reading scored four in the one game actually. That was a waste and unnecessary. As it turned out one would have been enough so what's the point in netting another three? We talk a lot on the training field about doing what's necessary. Reading could regret using up four goals in the one game if the next match ends up 0-0 or 1-1. Like we did after the Blackpool game. I warned the boys after that game that I didn't want us scoring unnecessary goals again. Every one should count. Goals are precious in football and shouldn't be chucked around like confetti at a wedding. If Reading are going to be that profligate, I can't see them staying the course."
"Of course we would have liked a win ourselves but at the end of the day you have to be pleased with a point and with keeping Leeds down to one goal. We lost James Tomkins at half time and that was a big blow and we were without Vaz Te and a couple of others too. Injuries take their toll."
"So in the circumstances it was a brilliant result, the best result of the day in the division after you take everything into account. We are unbeaten in eight now. You have to be pleased with that and if we can remain unbeaten between now and the end of the season you'd have to call that success, no matter where we finish in the table. I took over a team that didn't know how to win a game and I've built a team that doesn't know how to lose. I think we have to be very pleased with that, very pleased indeed."
21 comments:
Genius!
What is big Sam going on about? He is smoking weed again.
Interesting comments by Sam Allardyce, esp. about Reading and goals scored.
This very much reminds me of the reliance on "The Law of Averages", as it's miss-applied to events that are past. It is "common knowledge" that Reading can not continue their current streak - they've taken 28 of 30 points! Now if I were to say Reading should win another 7 on the trot, that would be unlikely. But the games are played ONE at a time - not 7 at once. And the results of the previous games have but a small impact on the result of the next one: a team can gain or lose confidence, become arrogant or despondent, but those are influences, not defining factors. That impact does not establish an outcome and any influence is likely minimal.
Now, I guess it's Allardyce's "Law of Conservation of Goals" - like predestination, a team shall only be allowed so many goals per season, and when your side has reached its' total, you're done. Oi, I guess I missed the memo on that one! I suspect the Reading players have more than a few 'spare goals' they can get out of their systems over the next few games!
But since Big Sam (perhaps Big Sad Sam by the end of the season?) has established this "Law", it is quite clear that he has set out the doctrinaire basis for a Hammers win over our Royals - after all, Reading certainly 'wasted' 2 precious goals when they defeated the Hammers by 3-0 earlier in the season. By this theory, West Ham is due at least the first 2 goals in the rematch, if not 3 (but surely West Ham will not "be that profligate"!), and Reading shall of course get none - they should be 'out', after all thus wastage! We shall see, but I just don't think so Sam!
Boring!
Anony-mouse says,
You hate Allardyce HF. Would you sack him now and if so who would you bring in to replace him? A definitive answer please.
Btw, you won't be surprised that I agree with 9.33's 1 word assessment of this article over 1.34's.
Has he completely lost it? At the end of the season, what happens if the Hammers lose out on goal difference because they only score one goal per game? He should know that every goal counts. Muppet.
dont worry southampton cant keep this up all season come christmas they will be mid table what its nearly april where have i been oh ya hiding under a pillow.on match days...
Seriously. Did he actually say these things? Or are you having a go at him again? Because if he said it, therapy wouldn't really help. He would need a whole team of psychiatrists to study him.
I almost believed these were really ALLARDYCES' comments...very good.
Anony-mouse says,
I agree USA Dave - therapists would not be able to help the author of those words.
Come on HF- answer my question in a non-prevaricating way. I say stick with Allardyce. Regardless of his faults it would be madness to get rid of him weeks before the end of the season, and bring in the best available (whoever that is) man who would need time to find his feet. Come on we are both men of strong opinions. I've given you my views now just say it as it is- what would you do?
Arrogance like this is rarely seen outside of an asylum. I thought 'March Madnes' only happened in the States......
I already have on another thread Anony-Mouse. I would keep him now. But then I said we should keep Grant for similar reasons and look where that got us! This is Allardyce's squad, it is cut to his cloth. If anybody can get this ramshackle collection of misfits across the line, it is probably him. A new manager can't give us width because Allardyce has left us without wide men. I new manager will be stuck with the Nolan dilemma too because we don't have a Lambert, a big man who scores regularly. We could have signed Sharp, but we didn't, Allardyce went for for Maynard instead, ignoring that Maynard would not fit 4-3-3. He signed Baldock too, again ignoring his preferred 4-3-3 formation.
This sounds crazy, but I think our best chance of getting up would be for Nolan to pull up with a muscle tear. I'm not wishing it on him, but only then might we see a 4-4-2 combination that works. As long as he is fit, the team will be built around him, and as long as the team is built around him, we will struggle to score. Nolan and Lambert would work. Nolan and Cole doesn't. We need Cole and Baldock, or Cole and Maynard. And then we can't have Nolan!
I can't believe some of the responses to this thread by the way. How do people type without a brain?
Anony-mouse says,
I don't disagree regarding an injury to Nolan. My ideal would be a 4 4 2 with a fit Diop just behind Noble and either Maynard or Baldock alongside Cole. Many problems with that though- injuries mean Cole can't play week in, week out- that's one reason for the chopping and changing. That's also part of the reason why Maynard isn't being used properly. By the way Maynard will prove to be a better signing for us than Sharp for Saints.
None of this is ideal. We are a championship side with huge debts and the board have given as generously they can. In truth though it still isn't enough HF- he inherited the spine of a decent team at this level (Green, Tomkins, Noble and Cole) but in truth little else.
And he has signed wide players, but in typical West Ham style they've all got injured- Bentley, Taylor and now the most important one of the lot- Vaz Te. I know you think I bigged up the significance of his injury the other week, but I didn't. With him in the side we have play utterly differently.
ps- I can't believe how many people have fallen for this article. I can only imagine a happy HF chortling merrily to himself :)
HF, take it as a compliment. It was quite believable, particularly if reading it while waiting for your five year old to come back from the bathroom to resume a game of CandyLand. Kids do that. Warp reality so its hard to tell the difference.
It is becoming clear that the only way we can have automatic promotion is by winning our home games. And that is exactly my point. I want to ask Big Sam, how he intends to change things when we play at home. Does he really think that giving the space and freedom of movement to Reading at Upton Park will get us a win against them which so we badly need now? Reading seems to be scoring goals for fun.
We need to attack and besiege the teams against us at Upton Park and put the game beyond their reach. How does Sam intend to do that? Maintaining the same tactics at home will only ensure that we will miss out in getting ourselves in the automatic promotion places.
What's he talking aking about, Reading wasting goals, if he didn't notice Reading now have a better goal difference and that's as good as enough point. Come on URZ
Don't put things in quotation marks if they aren't quotes Hammers Fan, you are misleading a lot of people. If I didn't already know you was a waste of human skin then I may have believed it too.
But you're thick too 20.00!
LOL I've actually had an email from a Reading FC journalst asking for an audio tape so he can verify! Fantastic repostes on the Reading board with those blessed with brains pointing out to those without how it is obvious that this is a spoof!
You could always try tapping up one of your competitors managers, which will weaken them at the same time as giving your team a lift. That usually works.
Only problem is, both Southampton & Reading are financially stronger than you. Oh dear... looks like you are screwed then :)
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