Like Alan Pardew at Newcastle United, Sam Allardyce knows all about being the subject of crowd abuse and has served his time as a favourite for the sack.
According to popular pre-season predictions neither manager was supposed to still be in post but instead Allardyce’s reinvented West Ham United host Newcastle with European qualification a realistic mutual aim.
The match will be spiced by assorted sub-plots. While Allardyce once managed at St James’ Park, Pardew led West Ham to the FA Cup final. Then there’s the presence of the Newcastle old boys Andy Carroll – a striker much coveted by the visiting manager – and Kevin Nolan in the Upton Park ranks.
“It’s a special game and should make for a great occasion,” says Pardew whose rejuvenated team hope to record a sixth straight Premier League win and seventh in all competitions. “I have a lot of love for West Ham and their fans. They can be quite cutting down there but, generally, they’re brilliant.”
There is little affection for Allardyce on Tyneside but Pardew does not share this negative consensus. “Sam knows what it takes to win in the Premier League and is adaptable,” he says. “I look forward to clashing swords with him because his teams always test you. He’s taken West Ham forward this year in terms of their style of play. With the options Sam now has, they’re in for a big season.”
Whereas Pardew has largely rebuilt Newcastle around a nucleus of academy graduates and existing players rather than his seven summer signings, the close season acquisition of several newcomers including Enner Valencia, Carl Jenkinson, Morgan Amalfitano and Aaron Cresswell has been pivotal to the upturn in Allardyce’s fortunes.
“I think West Ham made, pound for pound, the best signings of any team in the summer,” Pardew says. “Although our new players have made an impact – particularly Jack Colback, Ayoze Pérez and Daryl Janmaat – our real strength this season has come from within, from Sammy Ameobi, Rolando Aarons and Paul Dummett, from guys who have pushed up a little notch.”
Newcastle’s radical improvement does not prevent him casting an envious eye at Allardyce’s recruits. “We were interested in Valencia, although not to the point where it got close. But West Ham’s market is our market and all of those players are players we perhaps should have moved on because they’ve done very well. That’s testament to their scouting team and the manager for picking them off.”
If Newcastle’s recent signings policy has left something to be desired, the team are, as Pardew puts it, “in a very good place”. “I had a good run at Reading but I’m not sure if I’ve ever done seven straight wins. We’re on a kind of unique run and it’s surprised even me. We look strong defensively [Newcastle have kept four successive clean sheets] and are an almost constant threat.
“I think the longevity of my contract – [Pardew signed a highly controversial eight-year deal in September 2012] – helps because these players know me and I know them. But Paul Dummett’s been a big part of the run; he’s come in at left-back, then centre-back and been fantastic.”
Whatever Saturday’s result at Upton Park, recent events have made a nonsense of the calls for both his and Allardyce’s heads. “The criticism you get as a Premier League manager is sometimes very harsh, very personal,” Pardew says. “You have to be big enough to handle that. Even though you might not like it, you have to deal with it.”
