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From a few weeks back but then he seemed to think that nothing could stop us, and we had plenty in the tank.
And the reason for the icon - this fantastic quote that should remain in Allardyce folklore as indicative of his general level of intelligence:
""it's about recreating modern day history."
Worthy of Alan Partridge, a tautology twisted into a metaphor. Marvelous...
West Ham: Allardyce believes Hammers can now repeat Brooking's glory
By Jack Pinnock on January 23, 2015 11:17 PM | Tagged with:Sam Allardyce,West Ham
West Ham 1 Arsenal 0 in 1980. Does the score, the opposition and date ring any bells? This was the last time the Hammers won the famous FA Cup, thanks to a goal from Trevor Brooking.
Now 35 years on, there is not a better time for West Ham to go on good cup run, according to manager Sam Allardyce.
The devastation of losing to Liverpool in the 2006 final at the Millennium stadium will still haunt the Hammers, with Big Sam still hurting from his own experiences of losing in a cup final.
Allardyce said: "West Ham should have at least won the FA Cup in 2006 when Alan Pardew was in charge. They just missed out through the brilliance of Steven Gerrard if I remember rightly. But it's no good getting there and losing.
"I've been through a cup final and lost and have never watched it since. If you get the chance to get to the final, you've got to win it.
"It's not nice when you finally get there, suffer the disappointment and when you see the opposition going up and getting there winners medals and lifting the cup and celebrating with their fans. It's then just about getting off the pitch as quickly as possible."
The Hammers made it hard for themselves to force a tie with Bristol City in the last round, when they eventually beat fellow Premier League side Everton 9-8 on penalties in a third round replay, with goalkeeper Adrian scoring the winning spot kick.
Allardyce said that on the basis of the tie against Everton, it shows how exciting the cup is, and how everyone still wants to do well in it.
Big Sam said: "I didn't enjoy the occasion against Everton as a manager. Not when you're 2-1 up and miss the fifth penalty to score to win it and then finally Adrian gets it. It was relief more than joy.
"It thrilled everybody. The two ties showed that the FA Cup is still a big competition for everybody as is the Capital One Cup. Obviously, in the early rounds, everyone is changing the sides to cope and get as far as they can.
"Even the lower league teams are changing the sides. When it comes to the latter stages, it always becomes very exciting and we want to be in amongst it."
With the distinct lack of trophies in the past 30 years for the East Londoners, a good cup run ahead of the 2017 move to the Olympic Stadium is the kickstart that is needed for the club, according to Allardyce.
The former Bolton Wanderers gaffer said: "it's about recreating modern day history. Particularly moving into the new stadium, it's one of those things what you and when you've been at a football club, the supporters have got everlasting fond memories.
"I'm sure a lot of supporters at West Ham have fantastically fond memories about Wembley in 2012 when we got promoted. But if we can get to a cup final and have that memory then, generally for most fans, it's a one-time occasion."
The priority of going far in the FA Cup could be cause for concern for the league form, with many supporters hoping to finish in the top six this season, which was unheard of last season.
Wishing to expand on the 36 points already accumulated, Allardyce insisted that he is not worried if a good run in the FA cup could scupper their chances of a place in Europe.
"I have no concerns at this moment in time," said Allardyce. "We have plenty of time between this game and the next game to recover and keep our very good league form up.
"Were just using it to compete in a very competitive competition. We know the glories of it and if get that ultimate goal of having the opportunity to be at Wembley, it's one of the most wonderful things you can experience in your career."
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