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20 teams in 20 days – West Ham United

By on August 18, 2014

Manager: Sam Allardyce
Stadium: Boleyn Ground
Nickname: The Hammers
Finish Last Season: 13th

It is easy to realize that Sam Allardyce is one of the most unpopular managers in the Premier League. In January Jose Mourinho criticized West Ham United for playing “football from the 19th century,” but West Ham fans did not lash out at Mourinho or back their club. In fact, the majority agreed with Mourinho. The club finished comfortably mid-table last season, yet only three teams scored less than they did, two of which were relegated. And he all to often just makes his situation worse – in March he actually cupped his ears when home fans booed his side of the pitch. Sympathy is running thin for Allardyce; especially by the fact that they have the squad to play attacking football.

They brought World Cup star Enner Valencia and forward Mauro Zarate over the summer to partner with Andy Carroll and Ricardo Vaz Te up front, and while Ravel Morrison has been into more trouble over the summer he will only ripen as a brilliant footballer. But in pre-season, they were dreadful. And not only up front – they allowed eleven from seven pre-season matches. They drew Stevenage, a fourth tier club, as well as Ipswich Town, while losing to Wellington Phoenix and Sydney FC. The only win in their seven match pre-season came against Sampdoria. The mood is hardly hopeful for the coming season.

It is hardly hard to see the Hammers sacking Allardyce if they start poorly.
A late narrow loss to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening day was almost a sucker punch considering they played decently and missed a penalty, and if the disappointment affects them then poor results in their next few easier fixtures could really hurt them going into more challenging ones. But the loss to Tottenham also proved they are a strong side. Mark Nolan and Kevin Nolan can still lead their midfield, while James Collins and Winston Reid put in a superb defensive performance.

But their fans want tactical change, and that didn’t come as far as they would have liked as Allardyce set up in a defensively minded 4-2-3-1 with Cheickhou Koyate playing right in front of the back line with Noble pushed a little further up the pitch. However, a good season and Allardyce with bring mid-table stability back just like any other manager could. Decideding whether Allardyce should stay depends on what West Ham want – entertainment with less stability for less entertainment with more stability.

Full Fixture List:
August 16: Tottenham (H)
August 23: Crystal Palace (A)
August 30: Southampton (H)
September 13: Hull City (A)
September 20: Liverpool (H)
September 27: Manchester United (A)
October 4: Queens Park Rangers (H)
October 18: Burnley (A)
October 25: Manchester City (H)
November 1: Stoke City (A)
November 8: Aston Villa (H)
November 22: Everton (A)
November 29: Newcastle (H)
December 2: West Bromwich Albion (A)
December 6: Swansea (H)
December 13: Sunderland (A)
December 20 : Leicester City (H)
December 26: Chelsea (A)
December 28: Arsenal (H)
January 1: West Bromwich Albion (H)
January 10: Swansea (A)
January 17: Hull City (H)
January 31: Liverpool (A)
February 7: Manchester United (H)
February 10: Southampton (A)
February 21: Tottenham (A)
February 28: Crystal Palace (H)
March 3: Chelsea (H)
March 14: Arsenal (A)
March 21: Sunderland (H)
April 4: Leicester City (A)
April 11: Stoke City (H)
April 18: Manchester City (A)
April 25: Queens Park Rangers (A)
May 2: Burnley (H)
May 9: Aston Villa (A)
May 16: Everton (H)
May 24: Newcastle (A)

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.