Allardyce eyes home comforts
December 31, 2011 10:50:12 UK
West Ham boss Sam Allardyce is going into the New Year determined to keep the Hammers fans on his side.
Sam Allardyce is keen to improve West Ham's home record.Allardyce still has to cope with the Upton Park snipers who refuse to see him as anything other than a Route One man - alien to all the principles in place at Upton Park.
And with three defeats at the Boleyn Ground already, the former Bolton Wanderers manager is very much putting his PR hat on ahead of the home game against Coventry City on 2nd January.
Victory over Derby County at the Baseball Ground on Saturday would of course help his cause, but he said: "From my time at other clubs, I knew how difficult it was to come to Upton Park and get a result, but it's not been quite like that so far.
"The support, though, has been terrific. I see our next home game, against Coventry, should be another sell-out and that is a testament to our fans who, home and away, are undoubtedly the best in the League.
"I think there are times when perhaps, as a stadium, we could make the opposition more apprehensive, but I'm sure, as the season rolls on and the finishing line gets closer, that will happen."
Life could be tricky against the Rams as the Hammers are without skipper Kevin Nolan, George McCartney and Julien Faubert after they were all cautioned in the Boxing Day draw at Birmingham.
In fact there's real trouble at the back where James Tomkins could be the only central defender available to Allardyce.
The Hammers are 2.50 to win at Derby, with the draw 3.20 and the Rams 2.87 to triumph on home turf.
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