Sam Allardyce

[BlueToff]

I think people are getting confused.

I don't think anyone is 'happy' with the Allardyce appointment.

But it's done now. So we move on.

My point is that we are still in trouble. And for me we're not out of trouble until we bridge that gap between the bottom half and ourselves.

That could easily happen by Christmas. It could also go terribly wrong.

So, i'm not going to start pretending that everything is rosy because we got lucky - and we did get luck, which is always needed - against a dire West Ham side and put in a half-decent performance.

 

[ToePeg]

Silva was there for the taking. Moshiri wasn't prepared to pay the money. Besides him there are lots of other options.

How was Allarcyce the only game in town after Silva? Still need that explaining to me.

It's a very high stakes game though. Silva could be the genuine article or he could be having a Martinez first season. We can't be going out spending £10 million compensation to clubs every 18 months because we keep rolling the dice on the new flavour of the month. Dyce certainly would have been a less exotic but very credible appointment.

 

[JLW]

but we are in a fight

you're denying facts to say we aren't

and because we let the search go on for so long, and we did get worse in that time, really - or at least the confidence of the squad did - then we ended up going for the only 'decent' manager who would take us in Sam.

Unsworth couldn't do it. Not all season. Not fair on him or anybody really.

I don’t believe we are mate, the fight doesn’t start until next year around March that’s when the relegation fight starts IMO. I agree Unsworth couldn’t do it.

 

[BlueToff]

I agree with this broadly. But perhaps also; the youngsters we have at the moment would benefit from Championship loans rather than the confidence-battering Premiership slog. Calvert-Lewin in particular. If Allardyce put those lads on loan I think this would be alright.

Also progress for me would also look like getting rid of Williams, Jagielka, Mirallas, Schneiderlin, Klaassen - albeit with Corrupt Sam's record we don't know who would come in to replace them.

I think this is going to be 8 months of major change at the club. Elstone won't survive, and he's the CEO, so that is a huge change.

Still think there's a player in Schneiderlin. You don't turn dross overnight - at his age, at least.

He was very good last year.

He needs a boot up his arse, though. Definitely.

 

[Jonte]

Pabbers - look at the state of the squad ffs.

We have conceded 20 goals in eight games. That's mental.

We fail to beat Huddersfield on Saturday and other results go against us and we're right back where we started.

I'm consistently positive, but we are one of the worst teams I've seen. I try to avoid sensationalism but this season we have been that bad.

So no, in my mind - and I know this will be the thinking of everyone at the club as well, ultimately - the first target is to get to that 40 point mark.

First target. We string a good run together and that could be done come the end of January.

Then, it's about building on that and seeing what we can salvage from this shambolic season.

I'm not having one win - against a dreadful West Ham side - has changed our season. It hasn't. We're full of false starts and still have issues to address all over the pitch.

If not for a great save from Pickford last night, that game was very, very different. But, we spent £30m on our keeper to ensure he makes those saves.

Defensively, we're still atrocious. Imagine Salah and Mane going up against Martina in ten days' time!?

So no. I'm not getting carried away.

40 points is our first port of call now. That is Sam's first target - get the team playing as a team and working as a unit, in a system that suits us. Get to 40, and then go from there.

Wasn’t expecting to win the impending Derby game due to recent events,however, there is of course a second in April, by which time Colman will be back and seasoned plus it’s a home game.

Add to the mix the vast improvements in Williams’ recent performances and Holgate’s last night (best I’ve seen him play for the first team), I’d say Alladyce is surplus to requirements.

 

[DanB90]

Nea, I’ll get behind him now he’s in charge. Might end up being surprised by what he does.
Feeling a lot more optimistic after last nights game (it’s mad what a win can do to change your outlook isn’t it?)



Sammy Lee is a piss drinking knobhead though.

 

[Darth Toffeeman]

but we are in a fight

you're denying facts to say we aren't

and because we let the search go on for so long, and we did get worse in that time, really - or at least the confidence of the squad did - then we ended up going for the only 'decent' manager who would take us in Sam.

Unsworth couldn't do it. Not all season. Not fair on him or anybody really.

The penalty save (when West Ham where well on top), followed by a moment of genius from Wayne knocked the stuffing out of the Irons.
Score the penalty and the game could have been very different.

An excellent result but there is a ton of work to be done on this team before we can start looking up again.

 

[ToePeg]

£10.7m....

and a sausage dinner

Sausage dinner? Are we talking mash or chips, gravy or curry sauce? Asking for a large friend.

 

[BlueToff]

I don’t believe we are mate, the fight doesn’t start until next year around March that’s when the relegation fight starts IMO. I agree Unsworth couldn’t do it.

But we are then in a fight to avoid being in the fight come March then, matey.

Please, look at the table. We're only five points clear.

We fail to beat Huddersfield come Saturday, and others below us manage to get wins - which isn't unfeasible - and we're pretty much back where we were yesterday. It's that close at the moment.

 

[Thomasc]

Everton don’t have the muscle power to target just one man to lead the project! We targeted Silva, tried and failed so you move onto the next on your list and so on. Sam Allardyce should not have been on a ‘kin long list never mind a bleedin short one! I refuse to buy into this notion that Allardyce guarantees you safety because he’s never been relegated, I look at it the other way, his style and tactics keep you in a relegation battle, but he gets lucky.

We have different take on it I guess

 

[BlueToff]

The penalty save (when West Ham where well on top), followed by a moment of genius from Wayne knocked the stuffing out of the Irons.
Score the penalty and the game could have been very different.

An excellent result but there is a ton of work to be done on this team before we can start looking up again.

Exactly.

They were all over us right up until the third goal.

We were abysmal at the start of the second half. Literally had the ball out of our own half for a combined 10 seconds - and that's not even how we scored!

People are massively ignoring the blatant issues that have been present all season, purely because they can't accept that we let our season drift so much that Sam has ended up being the only feasible option!

 

[chazzle_dazzle]

Sausage dinner? Are we talking mash or chips, gravy or curry sauce? Asking for a large friend.

Chips, 2 sausages, Gravy and mushypeas.

Apparently as part of the bonus Sam wanted that [Poor language removed] they have down south PeaWet or whatever it is, we drew the line at that and offered him £5m more on the bonus.

#GrapeVine

 

[Deckard2049]

Wasn’t expecting to win the impending Derby game due to recent events,however, there is of course a second in April, by which time Colman will be back and seasoned plus it’s a home game.

Add to the mix the vast improvements in Williams’ recent performances and Holgate’s last night (best I’ve seen him play for the first team), I’d say Alladyce is surplus to requirements.

Williams didn’t play against Atalanta then? Or come on against Southampton?

We beat West Ham. Only Swansea look possibly worse than them. Let’s not go crazy.

 

[Rudolf Hucker]

Well I may be in the minority, but I'm happy with Big Sam. He's a far better manager than some of you give him credit for.

We've got 8 games between now & the Jan window. If any man can get the best out of this squad, he can.

You can be certain he's already wheeling & dealing to get players in, unlike that Dutch Moyes gimp we just got shut of.



COYB!!!!!!!!

 

[BlueToff]

Wasn’t expecting to win the impending Derby game due to recent events,however, there is of course a second in April, by which time Colman will be back and seasoned plus it’s a home game.

Add to the mix the vast improvements in Williams’ recent performances and Holgate’s last night (best I’ve seen him play for the first team), I’d say Alladyce is surplus to requirements.

But that's more pie in the sky stuff... surely?

Coleman will be a huge boost, same for Bolasie and Ross. But all of them have being out for ages. None have had a pre-season. We can't rely on any of them coming back and hitting the ground running or even finding their best form before the season is out.

Our defence isn't a personnel thing as such anyway. We're constantly at sixes and sevens. Everything's so hap-hazard. I can't remember the last time we made a successful first-time clearance that didn't fall straight to one of the opposition players in our own half.