Thought this was nice.

"I don't mind that West Ham lose every week. I don't mind that we never win anything. I don't mind that we sell all our best young players and spend the proceeds on the likes of Hayden Mullins. I don't mind that our boss decides Nigel Reo-Coker is better than Carlos Tevez. I really don't mind if we sack charisma vacuum 'laughing' Avram Grant, but I do take exception to his successor being Big Sam. Is it wrong to change your team (if it's not Manchester United)?" – Will Brown.


Probably how I'd feel were I a Hammer!

He's a bellend but he's a damn good manager.

Define "damned good" as a description of Allardyce's management capabilities.

Turned Bolton into a top 10 team, Blackburn were going the same way, and look what happened to Newcastle when he left.

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:Turned Bolton into a top 10 team, Blackburn were going the same way, and look what happened to Newcastle when he left.

Bolton are a better team with their current manager than when Allardyce was there - they play football now. Blackburn were going the same way? Was that before or after they laid down and died in front of an ordinary ManU team (5-1 wasn't it?). What happens to Newcastle happens anyway, with or without Allardyce.
If Allardyce is appointed manager at West Ham and they stay up (which they are going to anyway, IMO) will that prove he's a "damn good" manager? The answer is no.

Owen Coyle has just built on Allardyce's stellar job, and you can hardly point at one poor result against a career filled with victories against the so called big 4, especially Arsenal. If Allardyce is to take over and keep us up, he'll also get us re-established as a Premiership club with a Premiership quality team.

jpr60 wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:Turned Bolton into a top 10 team, Blackburn were going the same way, and look what happened to Newcastle when he left.

Bolton are a better team with their current manager than when Allardyce was there - they play football now. Blackburn were going the same way? Was that before or after they laid down and died in front of an ordinary ManU team (5-1 wasn't it?). What happens to Newcastle happens anyway, with or without Allardyce.
If Allardyce is appointed manager at West Ham and they stay up (which they are going to anyway, IMO) will that prove he's a "damn good" manager? The answer is no.

Allardyce is a good manager.His track record pays testimony to that.You may not like teh way his teams play but i'd liken them to the George Graham Arsenal sides.Rock solid no nonsense defending, big centre forward and a couple of tidy footballers in the middle of the park.If Allardyce took over West Ham next week they'd stay up IMO.And anyone who can achieve that with the squad teh Hammers have is a success.All this about the academy and pretty football will mean feck all if they get relegated and go into a downward spiral similar to that of huge clubs like Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday

QBVILLA wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:Turned Bolton into a top 10 team, Blackburn were going the same way, and look what happened to Newcastle when he left.

Bolton are a better team with their current manager than when Allardyce was there - they play football now. Blackburn were going the same way? Was that before or after they laid down and died in front of an ordinary ManU team (5-1 wasn't it?). What happens to Newcastle happens anyway, with or without Allardyce.
If Allardyce is appointed manager at West Ham and they stay up (which they are going to anyway, IMO) will that prove he's a "damn good" manager? The answer is no.

Allardyce is a good manager.His track record pays testimony to that.You may not like teh way his teams play but i'd liken them to the George Graham Arsenal sides.Rock solid no nonsense defending, big centre forward and a couple of tidy footballers in the middle of the park.If Allardyce took over West Ham next week they'd stay up IMO.And anyone who can achieve that with the squad teh Hammers have is a success.All this about the academy and pretty football will mean feck all if they get relegated and go into a downward spiral similar to that of huge clubs like Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday

You're certainly flattering Allardyce there. The Merse, Rocastle, Alan Smith and later Ian Wright were all top-class footballers. Yes, Graham liked a good (great) defence but please don't suggest that any Allardyce team in memory has got anywhere near the class of GG's sides!

jpr60 wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:Turned Bolton into a top 10 team, Blackburn were going the same way, and look what happened to Newcastle when he left.

Bolton are a better team with their current manager than when Allardyce was there - they play football now. Blackburn were going the same way? Was that before or after they laid down and died in front of an ordinary ManU team (5-1 wasn't it?). What happens to Newcastle happens anyway, with or without Allardyce.
If Allardyce is appointed manager at West Ham and they stay up (which they are going to anyway, IMO) will that prove he's a "damn good" manager? The answer is no.

Allardyce is a good manager.His track record pays testimony to that.You may not like teh way his teams play but i'd liken them to the George Graham Arsenal sides.Rock solid no nonsense defending, big centre forward and a couple of tidy footballers in the middle of the park.If Allardyce took over West Ham next week they'd stay up IMO.And anyone who can achieve that with the squad teh Hammers have is a success.All this about the academy and pretty football will mean feck all if they get relegated and go into a downward spiral similar to that of huge clubs like Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday

You're certainly flattering Allardyce there. The Merse, Rocastle, Alan Smith and later Ian Wright were all top-class footballers. Yes, Graham liked a good (great) defence but please don't suggest that any Allardyce team in memory has got anywhere near the class of GG's sides!

I didn't, i said they played in a similar style.Difference being Graham had a massive club with top class players at his disposal,Allardyce took a Bolton side from the Championship up to 6th in the Premiership giving them european football and a Carling Cup final.That is IMO an achievement on par with winning silverware with a club of Arsenal's stature.

The likes of Ochaka, The French guy Djourkoff (sp) were exactly hackers. Needs must JPR and that team played some good football

villanfromluton wrote:The likes of Ochaka, The French guy Djourkoff (sp) were exactly hackers. Needs must JPR and that team played some good football

QBVILLA wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:Turned Bolton into a top 10 team, Blackburn were going the same way, and look what happened to Newcastle when he left.

Bolton are a better team with their current manager than when Allardyce was there - they play football now. Blackburn were going the same way? Was that before or after they laid down and died in front of an ordinary ManU team (5-1 wasn't it?). What happens to Newcastle happens anyway, with or without Allardyce.
If Allardyce is appointed manager at West Ham and they stay up (which they are going to anyway, IMO) will that prove he's a "damn good" manager? The answer is no.

Allardyce is a good manager.His track record pays testimony to that.You may not like teh way his teams play but i'd liken them to the George Graham Arsenal sides.Rock solid no nonsense defending, big centre forward and a couple of tidy footballers in the middle of the park.If Allardyce took over West Ham next week they'd stay up IMO.And anyone who can achieve that with the squad teh Hammers have is a success.All this about the academy and pretty football will mean feck all if they get relegated and go into a downward spiral similar to that of huge clubs like Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday

You're certainly flattering Allardyce there. The Merse, Rocastle, Alan Smith and later Ian Wright were all top-class footballers. Yes, Graham liked a good (great) defence but please don't suggest that any Allardyce team in memory has got anywhere near the class of GG's sides!

I didn't, i said they played in a similar style.Difference being Graham had a massive club with top class players at his disposal,Allardyce took a Bolton side from the Championship up to 6th in the Premiership giving them european football and a Carling Cup final.That is IMO an achievement on par with winning silverware with a club of Arsenal's stature.

Notts County, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley and more recently Everton and Liverpool were "clubs of stature" at some time in their history. Arsenal won eff-all domestically from 1953 'til 1971, then again spluttered until Graham got hold of 'em in the late '80's. It takes a very good ("damn good"?) manager to drag a club up to the heights. A club's "stature" counts for nowt - look at Liverpool today - so I'd still say Allardyce has not proved himself to be a very good manager. Had he won the title with Bolton then yes - like Alf Ramsey did with little Ipswich Town way back when - I'd concede he's got what it takes but my opinion is mainly negative as regards his capabilities. He gets a job done from time to time but more than that? No! "Damned good" he ain't! (We may agree to differ)!

The eras aren't comparable IMO. Allardyce got Bolton up to 6th on a limited budget in an era where clubs have to spent £20m a year just to consistently finish in the top 8 teams in the Premiership.

QBVILLA wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:The likes of Ochaka, The French guy Djourkoff (sp) were exactly hackers. Needs must JPR and that team played some good football

Id like to say I was being sarcastic, but the truth is it is a typo

villanfromluton wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:The likes of Ochaka, The French guy Djourkoff (sp) were exactly hackers. Needs must JPR and that team played some good football

Id like to say I was being sarcastic, but the truth is it is a typo

Yerashambles, yer limp-wristed old fecker!

jpr60 wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:The likes of Ochaka, The French guy Djourkoff (sp) were exactly hackers. Needs must JPR and that team played some good football

Id like to say I was being sarcastic, but the truth is it is a typo

Yerashambles, yer limp-wristed old fecker!

Fair point and very well made.

villanfromluton wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:The likes of Ochaka, The French guy Djourkoff (sp) were exactly hackers. Needs must JPR and that team played some good football

Id like to say I was being sarcastic, but the truth is it is a typo

Yerashambles, yer limp-wristed old fecker!

Fair point and very well made.

Don't you play the old humble with me sunshine!

Go fcek yourself then. You should be more concerned with your own manager than big Sam from what I have heard about Monday nights non performance

jpr60 wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:Turned Bolton into a top 10 team, Blackburn were going the same way, and look what happened to Newcastle when he left.

Bolton are a better team with their current manager than when Allardyce was there - they play football now. Blackburn were going the same way? Was that before or after they laid down and died in front of an ordinary ManU team (5-1 wasn't it?). What happens to Newcastle happens anyway, with or without Allardyce.
If Allardyce is appointed manager at West Ham and they stay up (which they are going to anyway, IMO) will that prove he's a "damn good" manager? The answer is no.

Allardyce is a good manager.His track record pays testimony to that.You may not like teh way his teams play but i'd liken them to the George Graham Arsenal sides.Rock solid no nonsense defending, big centre forward and a couple of tidy footballers in the middle of the park.If Allardyce took over West Ham next week they'd stay up IMO.And anyone who can achieve that with the squad teh Hammers have is a success.All this about the academy and pretty football will mean feck all if they get relegated and go into a downward spiral similar to that of huge clubs like Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday

You're certainly flattering Allardyce there. The Merse, Rocastle, Alan Smith and later Ian Wright were all top-class footballers. Yes, Graham liked a good (great) defence but please don't suggest that any Allardyce team in memory has got anywhere near the class of GG's sides!

I didn't, i said they played in a similar style.Difference being Graham had a massive club with top class players at his disposal,Allardyce took a Bolton side from the Championship up to 6th in the Premiership giving them european football and a Carling Cup final.That is IMO an achievement on par with winning silverware with a club of Arsenal's stature.

Notts County, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley and more recently Everton and Liverpool were "clubs of stature" at some time in their history. Arsenal won eff-all domestically from 1953 'til 1971, then again spluttered until Graham got hold of 'em in the late '80's. It takes a very good ("damn good"?) manager to drag a club up to the heights. A club's "stature" counts for nowt - look at Liverpool today - so I'd still say Allardyce has not proved himself to be a very good manager. Had he won the title with Bolton then yes - like Alf Ramsey did with little Ipswich Town way back when - I'd concede he's got what it takes but my opinion is mainly negative as regards his capabilities. He gets a job done from time to time but more than that? No! "Damned good" he ain't! (We may agree to differ)!

[b]

Feck that we'll continue to have a debate about it


Right then.Arsenal have always been one of the stellar clubs in England filling large stadiums and spending pretty much their entire history in the top flight and the majority of that at the top end.Disagree about teh clubs stature counting for nowt as well.If Liverpool and lets say Bolton were competing for the same player and offering the same contract i'd bank on Liverpool getting the man.Man U were average 20 years ago but they still attracted and kept Captain Fantastic Bryan Robson at the club, similar to how Liverpool can retain the services of Gerrard and Torres.So the stature of a club still has its pull.
Sir Alf got Ipswich promoted and then won the league back in the early 60s (1962 was it?) Cloughie did it with Forest in the late 70s.Both major achievements but since the Premiership's birth the only club who've challenged for (and won) the title after getting promoted were Blackburn and they were bankrolled up and above anyone else in the division.What he did on a limited budget at Bolton is IMO a remarkable achievement.You may not like the man but he deserves credit for his CV.

villanfromluton wrote:Go fcek yourself then. You should be more concerned with your own manager than big Sam from what I have heard about Monday nights non performance

That's more like it you Old Tart!
Now Arsene Wenger is a "damn good" manager although, as you so rightly suggest I am a touch dismayed with how he had The Arsenal play at Old Trafford on Monday. I'm hopeful we'll be "back to basics" this weekend, which is not the Sam Allardyce "basics" (for which we Gooners are most thankful) but teh Wenger "basics", good football.

jpr60 wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:Go fcek yourself then. You should be more concerned with your own manager than big Sam from what I have heard about Monday nights non performance

That's more like it you Old Tart!
Now Arsene Wenger is a "damn good" manager although, as you so rightly suggest I am a touch dismayed with how he had The Arsenal play at Old Trafford on Monday. I'm hopeful we'll be "back to basics" this weekend, which is not the Sam Allardyce "basics" (for which we Gooners are most thankful) but teh Wenger "basics", good football.

Wonder what Allardyce would have done at one of the top clubs though, just a thought tosspot

villanfromluton wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:Go fcek yourself then. You should be more concerned with your own manager than big Sam from what I have heard about Monday nights non performance

That's more like it you Old Tart!
Now Arsene Wenger is a "damn good" manager although, as you so rightly suggest I am a touch dismayed with how he had The Arsenal play at Old Trafford on Monday. I'm hopeful we'll be "back to basics" this weekend, which is not the Sam Allardyce "basics" (for which we Gooners are most thankful) but teh Wenger "basics", good football.

Wonder what Allardyce would have done at one of the top clubs though, just a thought tosspot

I bet he would've won more silverware over 5 years than Wenger has managed the last 5 years.

QBVILLA wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

QBVILLA wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:Turned Bolton into a top 10 team, Blackburn were going the same way, and look what happened to Newcastle when he left.

Bolton are a better team with their current manager than when Allardyce was there - they play football now. Blackburn were going the same way? Was that before or after they laid down and died in front of an ordinary ManU team (5-1 wasn't it?). What happens to Newcastle happens anyway, with or without Allardyce.
If Allardyce is appointed manager at West Ham and they stay up (which they are going to anyway, IMO) will that prove he's a "damn good" manager? The answer is no.

Allardyce is a good manager.His track record pays testimony to that.You may not like teh way his teams play but i'd liken them to the George Graham Arsenal sides.Rock solid no nonsense defending, big centre forward and a couple of tidy footballers in the middle of the park.If Allardyce took over West Ham next week they'd stay up IMO.And anyone who can achieve that with the squad teh Hammers have is a success.All this about the academy and pretty football will mean feck all if they get relegated and go into a downward spiral similar to that of huge clubs like Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday

You're certainly flattering Allardyce there. The Merse, Rocastle, Alan Smith and later Ian Wright were all top-class footballers. Yes, Graham liked a good (great) defence but please don't suggest that any Allardyce team in memory has got anywhere near the class of GG's sides!

I didn't, i said they played in a similar style.Difference being Graham had a massive club with top class players at his disposal,Allardyce took a Bolton side from the Championship up to 6th in the Premiership giving them european football and a Carling Cup final.That is IMO an achievement on par with winning silverware with a club of Arsenal's stature.

Notts County, Blackburn Rovers, Bolton Wanderers, Burnley and more recently Everton and Liverpool were "clubs of stature" at some time in their history. Arsenal won eff-all domestically from 1953 'til 1971, then again spluttered until Graham got hold of 'em in the late '80's. It takes a very good ("damn good"?) manager to drag a club up to the heights. A club's "stature" counts for nowt - look at Liverpool today - so I'd still say Allardyce has not proved himself to be a very good manager. Had he won the title with Bolton then yes - like Alf Ramsey did with little Ipswich Town way back when - I'd concede he's got what it takes but my opinion is mainly negative as regards his capabilities. He gets a job done from time to time but more than that? No! "Damned good" he ain't! (We may agree to differ)!

Feck that we'll continue to have a debate about it


Right then.Arsenal have always been one of the stellar clubs in England [b]filling large stadiums and spending pretty much their entire history in the top flight and the majority of that at the top end.Disagree about teh clubs stature counting for nowt as well.If Liverpool and lets say Bolton were competing for the same player and offering the same contract i'd bank on Liverpool getting the man.Man U were average 20 years ago but they still attracted and kept Captain Fantastic Bryan Robson at the club, similar to how Liverpool can retain the services of Gerrard and Torres.So the stature of a club still has its pull.
Sir Alf got Ipswich promoted and then won the league back in the early 60s (1962 was it?) Cloughie did it with Forest in the late 70s.Both major achievements but since the Premiership's birth the only club who've challenged for (and won) the title after getting promoted were Blackburn and they were bankrolled up and above anyone else in the division.What he did on a limited budget at Bolton is IMO a remarkable achievement.You may not like the man but he deserves credit for his CV.

Arsenal "always filling large stadiums" was not the case for a good period of the '60's and '70's. I was one of the 4,500 at Highbury when Leeds beat us in a night fixture back then. Same for "majority of that at the top end", we were often struggling in mid-table and below.
Gerrard and Torres began with 'Pool when they were still a top club - I doubt they'd attract a major player today.
I'm totally ignorant of how much Allardyce spent during his time at Bolton but I'd be surprised if it wasn't more than what Wenger spent in the same period.
Look, I reckon Allardyce is a bit of a myth - Big Sam - a bit like Big Ron Atkinson - they're attractive characters who do a job but better than that they ain't, IMO!

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:Go fcek yourself then. You should be more concerned with your own manager than big Sam from what I have heard about Monday nights non performance

That's more like it you Old Tart!
Now Arsene Wenger is a "damn good" manager although, as you so rightly suggest I am a touch dismayed with how he had The Arsenal play at Old Trafford on Monday. I'm hopeful we'll be "back to basics" this weekend, which is not the Sam Allardyce "basics" (for which we Gooners are most thankful) but teh Wenger "basics", good football.

Wonder what Allardyce would have done at one of the top clubs though, just a thought tosspot

I bet he would've won more silverware over 5 years than Wenger has managed the last 5 years.

I wonder why one of the so-called "top clubs" didn't employ Allardyce - could it be that he ain't that good?

As for you Jesus, you're soft (as John Lennon would've said). What sort of comment is that? All this "what if" is a bit daft is it not? Allardyce didn't get a job at a "top club" cos he's not up to it, therefore he would've won nowt!
I dunno, it's like talking to an effin brick wall sometimes!

jpr60 wrote:

Ezekiel 25:17 wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:

jpr60 wrote:

villanfromluton wrote:Go fcek yourself then. You should be more concerned with your own manager than big Sam from what I have heard about Monday nights non performance

That's more like it you Old Tart!
Now Arsene Wenger is a "damn good" manager although, as you so rightly suggest I am a touch dismayed with how he had The Arsenal play at Old Trafford on Monday. I'm hopeful we'll be "back to basics" this weekend, which is not the Sam Allardyce "basics" (for which we Gooners are most thankful) but teh Wenger "basics", good football.

Wonder what Allardyce would have done at one of the top clubs though, just a thought tosspot

I bet he would've won more silverware over 5 years than Wenger has managed the last 5 years.

I wonder why one of the so-called "top clubs" didn't employ Allardyce - could it be that he ain't that good?

As for you Jesus, you're soft (as John Lennon would've said). What sort of comment is that? All this "what if" is a bit daft is it not? Allardyce didn't get a job at a "top club" cos he's not up to it, therefore he would've won nowt!
I dunno, it's like talking to an effin brick wall sometimes!

Where's the fishing emote when you need it?