Bolton came close to gaining a point at Old Trafford on Saturday. With the game at 0-0, Jussi Jaaskelainen’s fumble allowed Dimitar Berbatov to secure a late winner for League leaders Manchester United. But after the game Coyle refused to blame Jaaskelainen, he said ‘we win as a team, we lose as a team’. I love this positive attitude towards team unity and I think it is one of the things that has made Owen Coyle one of the best managers in the Premier League this season.
I think it is this atmosphere, where everyone is part of the team, that has seen Owen Coyle contribute to the development of Jack Wilshere. This season he is doing it again with Daniel Sturridge. Owen Coyle is fantastic at getting the best out of players, he does this by building player’s confidence; self-belief is crucial both to form and in realising potential.
One way to give a player this confidence is to just play them every game; let him know that he is valued . The other way is to make them feel part of the unit. Young lads from Chelsea and Arsenal train in a squad of international super-stars. I doubt they feel they belong at that level until they break in to the first team. But it is tough to break through because of the quality of competition. It is even harder to develop if you don’t get to play.
This year Daniel Sturridge has scored 4 goals in 6 games for Bolton – it looks like he is fulfilling his potential. Last season Wilshere spent the latter half of the season at The Reebok Stadium with Owen Coyle. He played 14 times and scored once. It might have only been a short period of playing Premier League football, but there was less pressure on Wilshere at Bolton. This way Wilshere got some experience of playing top flight football but did so under less scrutiny. The benefits of this have been demonstrated by Wilshere’s form this year.
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The last thing a young player needs is a manager who is feared. Owen Coyle is definitely not that. He is a tracksuit manager and loves getting involved with the players, so no player is isolated. Coyle tries to play all his players at darts or table-tennis, it might sound stupid but it is the type of non-formal situation to get to know your manager and it is a great way to make players feel part of the club. He also loves a to play in training sessions and has even played for the reserve team this season.
Coyle’s skills are not limited to young players; Johan Elmander has improved dramatically this year. In the previous two seasons he was a player who was strong and skilful but just didn’t seem to have the confidence a striker needs to score goals, but this season he has already scored 10 goals in the Premier League.
Coyle has taken Bolton from a team who had been accused of playing one dimensional football to a team who play good football and every player contributes. Players don’t look scared to attack, and have a great team spirit; Coyle’s enthusiasm is infectious.
Coyle is not afraid to give the likes of Wilshere and Sturridge regular first team action, he backs their ability and builds players up with confidence so they can realise that potential. Having shown that he can get the most out of players, young and old, I would not be surprised if he ends up at a top club in the coming years.
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Share this appreciation of Owen Coyle, one of the few tracksuit managers in the Premier League? Get in touch with Joe here.
Perhaps Wellington Silva will visit the renowned Owen Coyle finishing school soon…
Manchester United will play Juventus in a testimonial game for Gary Neville at Old Trafford on May 24.Neville, 36, announced his retirement on February 2 after enjoying a 602-game, 18-year career with United.
Neville, who made his senior debut against Torpedo Moscow in a UEFA Cup tie in 1992 aged 17, and was part of the side that won eight Premier League titles, three FA Cups, two League Cups and the Champions League in 1999, is touched by the gesture from the club.
“I am delighted to be given this game by the club, it is going to be a very emotional night, especially as I pull on that red shirt once more,” Neville said.”I intend to savour every moment and I hope the fans can share in my special night.”
The right-back, who has been capped 85 times for England, has pledged to donate the match proceeds to community projects and supporter initiatives in the United Kingdom and abroad.
Neville retired after a series of injuries had affected his performances; and his last competitive match was on January 1 in the 2-1 Premier League win against West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns.
With results like this, there is no point or need to dissect or analyse; everything just went right. What makes me happiest, as a Red, is that under Kenny, I’ve been able to say that more often than not. Not a single player shirked his duty, hid from the spotlight or let up for a second. Those were the things we’d been used to for a good few years and it feels as if those times are slowly returning.
However, a special mention should go to two players: Maxi Rodriguez (obvious, yes) and Jay Spearing. Firstly, Maxi stepped in and bagged a hat-trick. With this little Argie it’s either one or the other. There’s not grey area; he’s either anonymous or one of the best players on pitch and on Saturday he put in a superbly intelligent performance. Some may say he was just ‘in the right place at the right time’ but that requires a sharp, incisive footballing brain. There are strikers who would love to have that ability and Maxi showed on Saturday that he is more than capable of being much more than just a squad player. Keep it up Mr. Rodriguez.
As for Spearing, I would be the first to admit that I’ve never rated him very highly but he has had a fantastic couple of games. He’s stepped in to a pretty massive void and we haven’t missed the man that would normally fill it. That’s not to suggest that Spearing is going to replace the Captain; that’s absurd but as a stand in, he’s been doing a great job and I’d be more than happy for him to continue in this vain and continue to prove me wrong.
It’s Newcastle up next and we take a run of great performances and results, with a cumulative 11-1 goal difference from our past three home games, Newcastle have got a lot to do if they want to match us. And the two aforementioned stars from the weekend are more or less guaranteed to start; it’d be criminal to replace them after their showing on Saturday.
Read more of David Tryer’s articles at the excellent Live4Liverpool
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Listen to the third episode of our brand new podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and singer/songwriter Alistair Griffin, who performs a live version of his cult tribute to Mark Viduka, with Razor on backing vocals!
Chelsea got the stroke of luck they needed to maintain their push for the title at Stamford Bridge yesterday. Harry Redknapp says that the linesman decision could cost them £30m and it is hard not to argue with the Spurs manager’s protests.
In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories that include Ferguson set hijack Sanchez deal; Ancelotti claims Drogba isn’t first choice, while Keegan believes Liverpool won’t win title for five years.
Linesman could cost us £30m: Redknapp fumes after Chelsea defeat – Daily Mail
Arsenal need THREE new players to win title next season – Mirror
Ancelotti: Drogba is not my first choice – Daily Telegraph
Spurs and Man City to slug it out over £10m Parker – Mirror
Keegan: Liverpool won’t win title for five years – Daily Telegraph
Hammers mad to ignore talent of ‘crazy’ Balotelli – Independent
Sulky Balotelli in training ground bust-up with City team-mate Kompany – Daily Mail
Newcastle move for French winger Tabanou as Arsenal eye Enrique – Daily Mail
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Wenger: Arsenal are ‘not ashamed’ – Guardian
Chelsea must prove that they want me to stay, warns Malouda – Daily Mail
NORMAN GILLER reports on a sad week for sport and sports journalism, with the funerals for Sir Henry Cooper and Peter Batt
Between us, Hugh McIlvanney, Colin Hart, former Sunday Mirror sports editor Tony Smith and I have experienced more than most in chasing headlines and deadlines, but we are all agreed that 48 hours this week took us into new emotional territory.
On Monday we joined the journalists, recovering alcoholics, family and friends at the North East Surrey crematorium, saying farewell to our old pal Peter Batt, perfectly described by fellow East Ender Hart as “the last of the Fleet Street hell-raisers”.
Floral tributes lined the hearse at Sir Henry Cooper’s funeral yesterday
On Wednesday we were among the specially invited congregation at the private funeral of Sir Henry Cooper, a national treasure whose fame and popularity transcended the world of sport and made him a Hero for All Time – the title of a personal memoir I am writing, and hopefully attracting a major publisher.
There was a staggering turn-out for Henry, who I was proud to call a friend for more than 50 years. Here comes some unashamed namedropping, just to capture the breadth and depth of Our ‘Enery’s esteem…
Sitting immediately to the right of me Bruce Forsyth and Frank Carson, just ahead of me to my left Sir Terry Wogan, Peter Alliss, Lawrie McMenemy, goalkeeping legend Pat Jennings, in the pew behind Barry McGuigan and Des Lynam, over there Sir Bobby Charlton, Cliff Morgan, Kenny Lynch, Kevin Keegan and Sir Trevor Brooking, and back there Russ Abbott, former Arsenal chief executive Ken Friar, Henry’s old opponent Billy Walker and, in front, Henry’s long-time golfing pal Jimmy Tarbuck.
It was Jimmy who spoke for us all in a suitably amusing yet respectful eulogy, simply yet so accurately calling Henry “a very, very nice man”.
Cliff Morgan, Sir Henry’s old “sparring partner” on Question of Sport, at the funeral with Kevin Keegan, who worked with Cooper on Brut’s “Splash it all over you” commercials, and Sir Bobby Charlton
Tarby brought laughter to go with the tears when he told how he was with a group of celebrities at a golf tournament in Devon when, at his bidding, everybody at their dining table in the hotel stood up and started singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Henry, who sat looking blankly because it was not his birthday. In no time bottles of champagne started arriving at the table from fellow guests. “See, Aitch,” Jimmy told Henry,”‘now you feel as if it is your birthday.”
After a moving service at the Corpus Christi church in Tonbridge, Kent, that reflected Henry’s devout Roman Catholic faith, I told his sons Henry Marco and John Pietro that they could be proud of giving their idolised Dad the dignified send-off he deserved.
Yes, a Hero for All Time.
The Peter Batt funeral attracted a congregation of more than 100 to an 80-seater crematorium, including around 20 of his old journalist colleagues, who at the wake afterwards shared dozens of Batty tales.
Among those I saw were heavyweight scribes Ken Jones, Jeff Powell, Ronald Atkin, Colin Malam, Alex Montgomery, Ian Todd, Terry O’Connor, Alan Hubbard, David Emery, Michael Hart, Steve Stammers, John Jackson, SJA chairman Barry Newcombe, Matt Driscoll (representing his Dad, Bob, who was in hospital for a minor op and so unable to see off his old drinking buddy), significantly Brian Scovell, and the inestimable Steve Whiting, making it despite now being confined to a wheelchair, plus former Sunday Mirror dynamo Dave Ellis and Sun administrator Jackie Hull.
Patrick Collins, temporarily knocked out by a coughing virus, sent apologies for his absence along with huge praise of Batty the man and Batty the writer, whom he succeeded as London Evening News columnist when laying the foundation to his exceptional career.
Ex-Daily Mail head of sport Bryan Cooney was another who could not make it for medical reasons, but he has written a must-read gem of a Batty memoir on the irreverent (but never irrelevant) Gentlemen Ranters website, fittingly billed as The Last Pub in Fleet Street.
The most rewarding sight for me at the wake was our old mate Alan Hudson sitting at the bar nursing a glass of orange juice. One of the most exceptional footballers of his generation, Alan has battled his demons and come through with his sanity and humour intact. Peter, who we learned during a warm address from daughter Jenny was known as The Don of the AA, would be very proud of Huddy.
For those who were unable to join us for the farewell to Batty, I reproduce here the eulogy I delivered on behalf of Peter’s many journalist colleagues – my toughest challenge was not using the “F” word that dropped from Peter’s lips like contaminated confetti, yet you could rarely take offence at his language because it was part and parcel of his personna:
We’re gathered here today to say a final fond farewell to Peter Batt – Batty, a legend not only in his own lunchtime but also in his own lifetime – a sportswriter supreme and a piss-artist of Picasso proportion.
I wanted to come up with the sort of unique intro that Peter would write – and I know he would approve of that alliteration … a piss-artist of Picasso proportion.
I am privileged – or Peter would say lumbered – with the honour of delivering this eulogy, but I’ve been told I have just seven minutes. It would take more like 70 minutes to do Peter justice. I have the permission of Peter’s family to make this a warts-and-all tribute. Batty would expect nothing less, as we remember a rare man who entertained, pleased, perplexed, amused and offended with equal measure.
First of all I’d like to say to you Heidi and the “gawdfordbids” Jenny, Caroline and Danny – in my many conversations with Peter, drunk or sober, he never spoke about you with anything less than deep love, affection and pride. It’s important that you know that.
Heidi, you deserve a medal for the way you kept the family together during turbulent times. But we won’t have your medal presented by Colin Hart, because he will want to make a Churchill-style speech. A quick explanation: When Peter took Heidi to meet Colin and his wife, Cindy, at the Hart home for the first time, Colin entertained his guests by playing an LP of Churchill’s wartime speeches. It completely escaped Colin’s attention that Heidi was German. Heidi later described it as the longest night of her life.
When in his closing years, finally dry and finding peace back in the bosom of his family, Peter came up with classic advice to daughter Caroline (or Curly, as he always called her). Turning Rudyard Kipling on his head, he told her: “If you can laugh and keep a strong will when life is kicking you in the arse, you can bounce back from anything, my girl …”
Life kicked Peter in the arse right from his birth on June 7 1933. He and I were born a few hundred yards apart in the slums of salubrious Stepney and always had a bond because we both had drunken fathers and slept four to a room with our brothers in Council homes. Talk about starting at the back of the queue.
Peter left school at 14 with barely half an education because of the lost years of the war. Imagine what sort of writer he would have been with a proper education! I always looked on him as the workingman’s Hugh McIlvanney, the master whose standards we all tried and failed to match. But I think Hughie would admit there were times when his good pal and long-time drinking partner got pretty damn close.
I first came across Peter the Poet when I was a copyboy on the much-mourned London Evening News in the mid-50s. One of the copytakers used to berate the reporters with such bellowed comments as: “Is there much more of this ‘effing crap …?” Only he didn’t say effing.
This, of course, was Batty, recently off a building site where he had been a labourer following his National Service in the Army, which was largely spent in the glasshouse. He had 120 words per minute shorthand and could touch type with machine-gun speed. But he hated taking down other people’s words. He knew he could do better. Much much better.
Batty’s rollercoaster career took him to jobs with a parade of papers, from most of which he got the tintack … one of the many Battyisms to infiltrate the Fleet Street vocabulary along, of course, with nannies (for nanny goats, quotes)
He worked for the Daily Mail and Evening News as a copytaker.
Then reporter on the Richmond Herald, the Windsor Slough and Eton Express, Romford Times, Walthamstow Guardian, Stratford Express,
The Scotsman, Scottish Daily Mail, Daily Herald, the old broadsheet Sun, Sunday People, the tabloid Sun (where he was Sportswriter of the Year in 1973), London Evening Standard, London Evening News,
Daily Star, The Times (freelance), Sunday Mirror, Daily Sport (ghosting Bobby Moore), Daily Express (freelance)…
Peter Batt was “the last of the Fleet Street hell-raisers”
Then back to The Star, where he was billed as “The Biggest Four-Letter Word in Sport”. He used a mouthful of four-letter words when they sacked him after a dozen warnings for his drinking escapades.
We all have unbelievable tales of the unexpected to tell about Batty that we can share afterwards at the wake. Peter just recently told Caroline that he wanted his wake to be the best party he never went to. We musn’t let him down.
Because of time restrictions, I’ve pruned my contribution here down to just the one all-time classic that helped cement the legend that is Peter Batt. The story has been told many times, but today it is particularly worthy of a repeat:
Enter another sports journalist master, Colin Hart. At the time he was the Daily Herald’s brilliant night news editor, and when it came over the wires that a London-bound plane had crashed in the Pyrenees he sent fireman reporter Batty to the scene.
Batty being Batty, he got to the foothills in, let’s say, a less than sober condition, and when the taxi-driver dropped him as close as possible to the site of the crash he managed to fall over in the snow while attempting to walk up the mountain.
Rescuers coming down from the wrecked plane found him, picked him up and conveyed him to a nearby convent where he was put into bed and nursed by nuns. They did not help his condition by giving him copious shots of brandy to warm him up. Word got back to other reporters covering the story that a survivor had been found.
They dashed to the convent to discover a pissed-as-a-pudding Batty sitting up in bed toasting their arrival and saying: “Thought I’d died and gorn to ‘eaven.”
Yes, the stuff of legend.
Peter, of course, morphed into a sportswriter of supreme talent, but always with the bottle between him and convention. Not only was he a prisoner of alcohol but also bitten by the betting bug, and stories are legion of him losing not only his shirt but also himself at dog tracks and racecourses across the world.
Life after Fleet Street was a rollercoaster of heady ups and, sadly, mostly painful drink-sodden downs. He had the world of television at his feet after writing several of the early EastEnders scripts, but lost that dream job when he was blamed for storylines being leaked to the tabloids.
Peter produced a beautifully written biography of racing trainer Mike Channon, a pal from his footballing days, and his own riveting autobiography called Batty is a must read for anybody who cannot say no to that next drink. The title had to be changed at the last minute because Meat Loaf claimed copyright on the entirely appropriate Batt Out of Hell.
He finally became disillusioned with the writing game when he had the heartbreak of having four of his finest works crash at the last hurdle … two television series, Side Saddle with Penelope Keith and The Bingo Boys with Michael Elphick hit the buffers, along with a betting shop sitcom that we wrote together … then, an ambitious musical based on The Pied Piper of Hamlin.
He teamed up with a top Austrian composer and I am sure there are several of you here who, like me, had Batty ringing at all times of day and night to sing the latest number down the line. I did not have the heart to tell him that it was unrealistic to try to follow the hit show Cats with their version of Rats.
Peter, who did not turn to sports reporting until in his 30s because he didn’t want to miss his beloved Spurs playing at White Hart Lane, was a Dean Martin soundalike who could really belt out a song. Several of us here will have memories of him falling blind drunk off the stage at a Geoff Hurst testimonial dinner at the London Hilton while singing his anthem My Way. He only managed to get out the first line: “And now the end is near, and so I face the final curtain …”
Then c-r-a-s-h! Head first off the stage.
Now, this really is the final curtain.
Batty goes to what he always described as his Higher Power with our love and affection, greatly missed but never forgotten.
If any one of us were asked to name their most unforgettable character, Peter Batt would be near the top of most lists. He just did not fit into this more sanitised, sensible and, frankly, more boring modern world of ours in which Peter felt a man out of his time.
I can safely say that Fleet Street – any of us here – will never see his like again. To be continued at the wake.
Rest easy, Batty.
Read Norman Giller’s previous columns for the SJA website by clicking here
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Dermott Desmond is pondering over another loan move for out of favour Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane.
The Celtic owner was responsible for bringing his fellow Irishman Keane to Parkhead back in January 2010 for a six month loan deal. Keane impressed on his loan move scoring sixteen goals in nineteen games for The Hoops. It was still not enough though to stop Celtic having a poor season which ultimately saw then manager Tony Mowbray being sacked and Neil Lennon being brought in. With the team now re-galvanised under Lennon, Desmond is again thinking of bringing Keane back to the club he supported as a kid.
With all the drama and hype over last season Celtic fans will be desperate to see the squad strengthened and go one better next season and win the title. But the loan move for the Republic Of Ireland star seems a strange one for some of the Celtic fans and has left them wondering if a move for Keane is really the best way forward. Firstly, the loan deal in January 2010 cost the club two million pounds. What would he be expecting this time round seeing as it looks as though his next club will be his last before he hangs up his boots. Can Celtic really afford to fork out all that money on a players wages and only be able to keep him for a year. Secondly, they already have a younger potentially better forward in Gary Hooper.
Hooper has been a big hit with the Parkhead faithful and had a great season last year so would the arrival of Keane see him fall down the pecking order? Seems pretty strange that Desmond would want to splash money on something he already has in the making with Hooper rather than use the money to buy a decent centre half something the club has needed for years. Lastly Keane is 30. How many years does he really have left? He’s had an appalling season, scoring only 3 goals having warming the bench for most of it and it looks as though his legs have gone.
There is no doubt keane is good player but what kind of message does it send splashing out money on a guy who is looking for a retirement plan when there is the potential to find a young world class player who is looking to kick start their career. Keane himself has stated publicly ” I am not getting any younger.
I am Tottenham’s player and I’m sure they will want to get a bit of money for me “. So with this having being said I think the Hoops should look else were in the transfer market.
This deal would obviously suit Robbie Keanes personal agenda but would certainly not suit Celtic’s agenda.
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Manchester United begin their title defence at West Brom and Queens Park Rangers host Bolton on the English Premier League’s opening day.The 2011/12 Premier League season officially gets underway with a number of low-key matchups, including United’s trip to The Hawthorns to face Roy Hodgson’s men.
But things improve markedly for United fans in the following weeks, with Sir Alex Ferguson’s team hosting back-to-back games at Old Trafford against Tottenham and Arsenal.
Arsenal have been handed a tough start in their quest for silverware, beginning with an opening-day match at Newcastle United.
The Magpies famously held the Gunners to a 4-4 draw in the same fixture last season, despite the visitors leading 4-0 after 26 minutes.
Arsenal will then welcome Liverpool to the Emirates before the trip to Old Trafford.
Chelsea’s next manager has somewhat of a soft opening with an away game at Stoke City to kick off the 2011/12 campaign.
The Blues then return to Stamford Bridge to host West Brom and promoted club Norwich City.
Spurs host Everton on opening day in an early pick for match of the round, and also welcome Manchester City to White Hart Lane following their clash with City’s Mancunian rivals.
Liverpool’s new signing Jordan Henderson could make his Reds debut against former club Sunderland with the two set to meet at Anfield on opening day.
Alex McLeish gets his first chance to win over Aston Villa fans when he leads his new club against Fulham at Craven Cottage, while Manchester City host Swansea City in the latter’s first-ever top-flight fixture.
Of the other promoted clubs, Championship winners QPR mark their return to the top-flight at Reebok Stadium and Norwich travel to Wigan Athletic.
Blackburn host Wolverhampton in the final opening day fixture.
The final day of the 2012/13 campaign could be another relegation scrap, with Swansea hosting Liverpool, Norwich at home to Villa and QPR travelling to Eastlands to face Man City.
United round off their season away to Sunderland, Chelsea host Blackburn, Tottenham welcome Fulham to White Hart Lane and Arsenal visit West Brom.
Following Arsenal’s rejection of a £20 million bid for Samir Nasri from Manchester United, the player is believed to be content to play out the last year of his contract at the Emirates. The Frenchman has returned to pre-season training with the club, and despite speculation linking him with a move, he will travel with the squad to Malaysia and China on Sunday as part of the side’s pre-season.
The ex-Marseille midfielder’s current deal with the North London club expires in June 2012, and he is the subject of transfer attention, with the Premier League champions the most adamant of his suitors. Despite risking closing him on a free transfer next summer, Arsene Wenger is reluctant to sell one of his key players to domestic rivals for less than £25 million and the player looks set to stay at the Emirates for another year.
Arsenal offered the 24-year-old a new deal, thought to be worth £90,000 a week, which would make him the side’s top earner along with Cesc Fabregas, but Nasri is believed to want wages in excess of £100,000 per week, something Manchester United are willing to offer.
Nasri started the 2010/11 season well, scoring a considerable amount of the club’s goals, but had an injury prone second half to the campaign. Despite this he still was runner up in the PFA Player of the Year award to Gareth Bale.
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With Stewart Downing on the brink of completing his £20m move to Anfield, questions are being raised over the future of Joe Cole who, according to the Metro, is set to move in the other direction as a potential replacement for the Villa winger.
Kenny Dalglish has made no secret of his desire to strengthen the Liverpool midfield, and is believed to have spent somewhere in the region of £50m on Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam as well as Stewart Downing. These signings can only suggest King Kenny is not entirely happy with his current crop in midfield, and players such as Joe Cole and Raul Meireles must surely be considering moves away from the Kop rather than being benchwarmers for those players that have been brought in.
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Having profited significantly from the sales of both Ashley Young and now Stewart Downing, Aston Villa chief executive Paul Falkner has insisted that “there are replacements in the market who can strengthen our squad.” Alex McCleish is said to be keen to bring Cole to the West Midlands, and will be desperate to fill the voids left on both flanks following the departure of Young and Downing. Villa are also chasing Charles N’Zogbia of Wigan and it is thought that should talks between Cole and the Liverpool hierarchy confirm that the 29-year-old is not part of Dalglish’s plans, then this will almost certainly pave the way for Aston Villa to offer him an escape route.
In an interview with the Guardian newspaper on Saturday, West Ham’s new manager Sam Allardyce said that his side would ‘at least’ make the play offs next year ‘unless I become the worst manager ever overnight and the players become the worst there has ever been.’ Now it’s one thing to be bullish and supremely confident, and another to be arrogant and underestimate the task ahead of you. The West Ham side that toiled dismally through the entirety of last season, at or incredibly close to the foot of the premiership table, has been stripped of 12 of its senior players and could still potentially lose Robert Green and Carlton Cole along with Scott Parker before the season begins. It seems foolish to take a return to the Premiership for granted even if the board are throwing money at it.
Allardyce signed Kevin Nolan from Newcastle United to lead this charge straight back up, an astute purchase. Nolan was talismanic when Newcastle faced a similar task, no doubt his experience will be invaluable. Alladyce has also signed Matthew Taylor and Joey O’Brien from Bolton as well as Abdoulaye Faye from Stoke. He is building a strong core for his new side but to turn this West Ham team around Allardyce needs more. He needs his optimism to be infectious.
The necessity for success in no way guarantees it but it is clear that the West Ham owners are desperate for an instant return to the top flight. Attracting Premiership players to a championship club must require some fairly reckless wages, (Nolan is rumoured to be on £55,000 a week) and Sullivan and Gold evidently feel the short-term gamble is the best approach. They have only two attempts before the move into the Olympic stadium.
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West Ham are currently the favourites for automatic promotion in a very competitive Championship, but Allardyce has yet to do the hard work. The chairmen are applying the pressure just through this impressive spending and West Ham certainly did not respond well to pressure last year. Allardyce has to change the mentality at the club and he has to shake off a season of underwhelming performances. Somehow, he has to convince this squad of his genuine belief that he can take West Ham into Europe, that will not be an easy task. Having a strong squad is not enough.
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If Allardyce fails to convince Green and Cole to stay he could face a very difficult season in the Championship. The last time they were relegated it took two years to come back up, with the reckless spending of this summer, that could cripple the club this time.