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C&P
Nze K.D Akabusi MBE QMSI ret Speaker-Leading Change, Career/Life Transitions Coach/Facilitator Employee Engagement-Professional/Personal Development
Allardyce was a good (not great) defender as a player. As a manager he carries on this vein.
His mental mind map is not for winning it is about not losing, yet it means he loses every time, it's destructive
I believe that Sam was as surprised as everybody else with our cracking start to the season and by the time he and the rest of the league came to terms with the wealth of ability our chairmen had brought it it was too late, West ham were in giddy heights, then Sam woke up. Let me explain.
For those of us at the first game of the season saw West Ham started with Carlton Cole up front with Vaz Te & Downing playing as half wing men half strike partners against Spurs. When they went down to 10 men they still kept three attackers, while we stuck to one lone striker, we went on to lose when we went down to ten men too. Sam just could not get out of his defensive mind set.
The next games however were to prove revolutionary as injuries to Cole and Vaz Te meant we played Sakho and Valencia. All of a sudden we had pace in the side, players running from Inside right/left positions scoring audacious goals, Downing was dragged in from the cold (wonderful insight from Allardyce or Sherringham?) to a more central position and the team prospered. Then Andy Carroll was fit to play and the deadly partnership of last year (twelve goals between them I believe) was resumed with Nolan. The team plays differently with Carroll and Nolan in the side, it is more physical it is more direct,it is one dimensional, it also has less pace, is less mobile and less flamboyant. But the worst thing is what it communicates to the rest of the team.
I do think that Cole could do a very good job for us if he had a defined role. I loved the year that Zola got hold of Cole, told him how good he is with both feet, and to think less-shoot more...he did and he scored some wonderful goals. Today though he knows he is unloved and unwanted, this destroys confidence. Like wise when you change a winning formulae to accommodate a 5 goal a year striker and then when he is injured insist that other strikers play in the system designed for him, you destroy confidence. Sakho is not a target man in the Carroll mould and his drop off in strike form is consistent with the new role he has been given.
This brings me to our captain Kevin Nolan. It is sad to see him struggling now, and like the warrior he is struggling to perform for a side and do his bit. He has been a great (not good) player who should have had more caps for his country. He was strong, quick in the box with a cool brain that could score and play under pressure. Very little of that remains now as his legs don't work like they used to so he does not get into the positions that he used to. He has scored one goal in a season in which once he got over the injuries at the start of has played a full part in. Sam really needed to save our captain from himself, but a once glittering career is going to fizzle out with mediocrity. Worse than this is what it communicates again to the other players who see his name on the sheet first, we don't get in this side on merit it is on favour. I wonder why Zarate kicked up a fuss, Amalfitano got in a strop and the talent RaVel Morrison (I know there were other issue) had to get shipped out. These are frustrated players who say what other dare not think...I should be in the team ahead of our Captain.
Confidence is hard to build and easy to lose, I know we have had injuries, so have all the teams in the league, which is why it is important to build confidence in all the Squad. As a leader you cannot have favourites, cannot stick to one system that favours a few and sidelines the many. You must play to and build up people around their strengths. Cole, Sakho, Valencia, Downing, Amalfitano, Nene need a role, they need to know what they bring to the team, why the play in this position and how this position plays to their strengths not on their weaknesses. I don't think our strikers/attacking midfielders know their role anymore as we reverted to a way of playing that suited three people, Sam, Andy and Kevin from December onwards.
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