As expected, Sam Allardyce has been named permanent manager of West Ham United, succeeding Avram Grant. The Hammers are hoping to bounce back into the Premier League after finishing 20th and thus being relegated to the nPower Championship in the 2010/11 campaign, and they've decided that 'Big Sam' is the man for the job. He thinks so, too:
West Ham United Name Sam Allardyce As Manager
That history that West Ham have I am very well aware of and we will play the West Ham way with the players we have got to achieve the ultimate, and that’s winning football matches.
It’s a challenge for me to use my experience to get them back in the Premier League as quickly as possible. It’s a very exciting prospect for me and one I’m looking very much forward to.
Allardyce has been criticised for his overly direct style, but nobody can doubt that he's a highly effective, forward-looking tactician, and he should be able to get the Hammers in gear fairly quickly. He may have some issues keeping his squad together - Matthew Upson has already left and Scott Parker is almost certainly on his way out. It'll be interesting to see what that squad looks like as they go into the next season, but at least they have a manager now, which is more than some clubs can say.
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