While I’m going to assume most of you have been able to glean my feelings on Sam from my reports, I’ve resisted taking a stand on the matter until now. Not that journalistic integrity is of any importance to me since I’m not a journalist, I still wanted to “report” on the matches without being seen as anti or pro Sam. But now that the hopeful turned infuriating season has almost left us and the silly season will take its place, I want to have me say on the matter.
I like metaphors. They are, after all, a very easy and convenient way to make a point. And I have not one, but two for ya.
Número uno. Before I met my wife, I made some…how shall I say it….crappy decisions on women. The common theme with each lousy relationship was that I stayed in them long past their sell by date. While all of my good friends, two of whom were clinical psychologists, were telling me I was bonkers for staying with someone that made me miserable I stuck with it. Why? Because at the time, for whatever reason, the idea of being single was far worse to me than the reality of staying with someone I didn’t like. And to that end, I have to wonder if the people who advocate giving Sam a new deal actually want him to stay or are afraid of him leaving? Those two notions are very different from each other, with the latter being patently unhealthy.
Número Dos. Maybe you know this, and maybe you don’t. I’m in the wine and craft spirits business. I spend my days driving from wine shops to restaurants and back again with a car full of yummy, alcoholic beverages. As much as I like my retail customers, it’s restaurants where I get my jollies. And my enjoyment of food and restaurants isn’t limited to my work. I’ve been fortunate enough to dine at some pretty stunning places, both in New York and in London. Le Bernardin, Bouley, Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern and Eleven Madison Park over here. Gordon Ramsay, Petrus, Maze, Chez Bruce and The Square over there. Let’s pretend that West Ham is a restaurant and Sam is the chef. He’s a very competent cook who consistently puts out solid food, all while keeping the costs at a percentage the owners are very happy with. And to top it off, the staff like him. But now the owners want to step it up by going for a prized Michelin Star. As solid and predicable as Sam is, they have serious questions as to whether Sam is the chef to lead them on their quest. And so they decide to make a change.
Neither of these metaphors are rock solid, particularly the second one. My mate, the ever reliable ExWHUemployee, challenged the second one by pointing out that changing chefs and the entire theme of the restaurant could also alienate many loyal customers who are happy with the stuff they are consuming. Understood. With any change, there is an element of risk. The key is making the kind of change that both offers the opportunity to improve, as well as minimizes the risk.
Sean did a great piece yesterday laying out all of the names linked with us. Some fill me with excitement, others terror. Bielsa scares me because his requirement to run a full marathon every match might cause problems, not to mention cardiac arrest. Bilic has somehow become a legend despite his brief time at Upton Park, but doing well in Turkey may not equate to doing well here. I think Rafa is a bit overrated. Give him the 10th best side in the country and he will have them fourth. Give him the 2nd best side and he will have them fourth. And both scenarios would be very expensive. After spending something like 200 million pounds at Liverpool, he told the media he needed more funds for players. Klopp has only gotten a mention because he’s going to be unemployed the same time Sam could be, although I wouldn’t kick him off the touch line for eating crackers. To be honest, Klopp would be wise to look at us as an English version of Dortmund, the kind of place that he could build in his own image.
To say that Sam Allardyce is a bad manager is, quite frankly, absurd. You may not like him or his football, but that doesn’t make him the imposter some make him out to be. We’ve lived through Glenn Roeder and Moron Grant. We know bad managers as well as anyone. Virtually every neutral pundit thinks we would be mad to let him walk. And until recently, the pragmatic notion of keeping Sam was acceptable to me. But I’ve been a sports fan for a long time, and I have never seen a coach/manager divide a set of fans like Sam. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen one talked about as much as Sam. For that reason alone it might be imperative we make a change. Which is unfortunate on some level. Where did it all go so wrong? I remember screaming with delight watching Sam jump into Neil McDonald’s arms two years ago after Maiga put us up 3-1 over Chelsea. I remember laughing heartily as Russell Brand planted a wet one on Sam’s cheek after we beat Citeh. This was his real opportunity to leave a positive legacy, not just on a club but on himself. But hubris and animosity got in his way. One day, maybe while sipping a nice Burgundy with his pal Fergie, he will look back and realize he could have made it work and he had only himself to blame for it falling apart.
Which leads me to the final name that has made the rounds, David Moyes. To my somewhat risk averse way of thinking, he provides what we need. A fresh look at things all the while being as safe a pair of hands as Allardyce. I’ve read many a tweet and comment that oppose the idea almost as fervently as they oppose Sam, saying it’s no more than a sideways move. Yet for all we know his edict while at Everton was to play a style that made the Toffees hard to beat, and that if asked he could switch things up. And it’s not like Van Gaal has had an easy time at Man U, leading me to believe Moyes was given a raw deal at Old Trafford. Until recently I thought him joining us was pretty close to a dead cert. Tony Henry is on board, he has a release clause to join an EPL team if asked, Etc. But after his interview with Sid Lowe in The Guardian it’s more dead in the water than nailed on. Which I’m very disappointed about. I think David Moyes has a lot to say about what kind of manager he is.
I hope he changes his mind and let’s West Ham United hand him the microphone.