Saturday 16 March 2013

Big Sam at war with board over contract: Hammers boss wants talks before end of season


West Ham manager Sam Alllardyce is putting pressure on the Irons hierarchy to open negotiations on a new contract before the end of the season, it is clear now, after comments made in his press conference yesterday ahead of Sunday's London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

The club's co-owner David Gold has repeatedly stated that no new deal for 57 year old Allardyce will be discussed until the end of the current campaign; and implicitly, with Premier League survival secured, but with the Hammers sitting pretty in 12th place in the table on 33 points and requiring only 3 wins from their remaining 10 games to all but guarantee survival, Big Sam wants a new deal before the end of the season.

"We'll sit down (and discuss it) when we're safe. What's the point of me waiting till the end of the season if we're mathematically safe with a few games to go?"

In the event of any new contract being discussed, Allardyce will also demand guarantees that the squad be strengthened; a fair request, given the relatively small size and weakness of the squad, when compared to most of our Premier League rivals.

These comments in the press are unlikely to go down well with Gold and his fellow co-chairman David Sullivan- managers speaking out in the media rarely does them any favours with their chairmen. This is not a rant from Allardyce, but he does appear to be indulging in some sort of mind game with Gold and Sullivan here; he knows full well that they're not willing to discuss a new deal until the end of the season so his comments make no sense at all from a logical perspective. Just that time of the season I guess!

By Alex Shilling, News Editor

@alexshilling

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