Sam Allardyce can see the funny side; how the whole thing flies in the face of popular perception. “Imagine me winning the fair play league,” the West Ham United manager said, bellowing with laughter. “You wouldn’t have thought that, would you?” But Allardyce can also see the worrying side. With two games to play, West Ham are in line to be granted England’s bonus Europa League spot, which has been handed out by Uefa on account of the Premier League’s excellent overall fair play record this season.
All of a sudden Allardyce can see the potential for a difficult summer and a bloated season next time out. West Ham sit second in the fair play table, behind Liverpool – who are likely to qualify for the Europa League via their league position – and marginally ahead of Everton, who are the visitors to Upton Park on Saturday.
If West Ham were to finish above Everton in that table, they would enter the first qualifying round of the Europa League, the first leg of which is scheduled for 2 July. There are three qualifying rounds and they finish on Thursday 6 August – two days before the new league season kicks off. The Europa League then has a two-leg play-off before the six-match group phase.
Were West Ham to go all the way to the final, they would have added 23 games to their season. And this, of course, is the season in which nothing can be allowed to jeopardise their league prospects. Given the move to the Olympic Stadium in 2016-17, West Ham cannot countenance relegation. There is no plan B for that. If Allardyce departs the club – as is likely – after the final match of this season at Newcastle United on Sunday week, it will be somebody else’s problem. Allardyce’s contract expires next month and, for him, D-day looms. But the fair play issue is his to talk about now and the implications, to borrow his words, “completely change” everything.
The fair play table will be finalised at the end of the month, based primarily on the marks that each club receive from match delegates in five categories: red and yellow cards; positive play; respect towards opponents; respect towards the referee, and the behaviour of officials. There is also an extra category that relates to the conduct of the club’s fans.
Yet the draw for the first and second qualifying rounds of the Europa League is not until 22 June. Forward planning stands to be fraught. Allardyce noted: “you would have six very good [qualifying] games that take care of your pre-season”. But there is a risk attached to this, and he added: “If we get knocked out in the first matches, we have to find games thereafter that we can’t commit to now.”
The greater concern is what happens during the league season. Allardyce has enjoyed one European campaign during his managerial career, when he took Bolton Wanderers to the last 32 of the Uefa Cup in 2005-06. Their Premier League form did not suffer – they finished the season eighth – but the English game is littered with examples of clubs who have found the balancing act more difficult.
“There are well-proven facts about the problems in Europe for teams that play there,” Allardyce said. “They affect the smaller teams more. It is extremely difficult winning on the Sunday after you’ve played on the Thursday, particularly when you’ve played away from home. You have to have fewer injuries than you’ve ever had. Not getting injuries on the scale we’ve had this season would be critical.” This season finishes later than those in recent years and the next one will begin earlier than normal. The summer break already feels squeezed, and that is before any international demands are factored in.
“The players would have to come back sooner,” Allardyce said. “But we have international players and, together with those who have played a lot this season, they would be left out of the first squad [for the first qualifier]. It’s an extremely difficult one to manage in terms of how we plan for pre-season.”
Uefa has announced that qualification to the Europa League via fair play will stop after next season. Even the governing body, it seems, has reservations about rewarding the fairest, rather than the best. “If they are getting rid of it, then they must think that,” Allardyce said.
Allardyce acknowledged that European football “can be a fantastic experience” but he is painfully aware of the priority for next season. “I won’t take any risks with our Premier League status at all,” Allardyce said. “I will take the criticism over any team selections. It is more important for this club than any other club. We need Premier League football going into that new arena.”
