Big Sam leaves after loss to Newcastle

West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce leaves The Hammers after the management decided not to renew his contract for the next season.

West Ham lost by 2 goals to a struggling Newcastle fighting for Premier League safety after which the departure of Big Sam was announced.

Allardyce took the managerial reigns at West ham in 2011 when they were in the second tier of English football and helped them to reach the Premier League which he says was one of the most daunting tasks he ever faced.

He started the 2014/15 campaign in excellent fashion which saw club go up to as high as 4th place in the table, but unfortunately, a drastic dip in the form and performance saw them finish the season in 12th place which ultimately led to his departure.

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West Ham will now start searching for a manager. They had set their sight on outgoing Napoli boss Rafa Benitez, but now it seems to be a lost cause as the Spaniard has been linked with a move to Real Madrid.

I knew it was coming and I have no problems with it. We had the discussion and I wasn’t going to sign a new contract so it was probably time to move on.
–Sam Allardyce

There has been some shocking speculation that West Ham will be moving for Carlo Ancelotti but that move also seems to be on the verge of failure as Ancelotti will be undergoing a spinal operation which will rule him out of contention for any managerial job.

The club passed an official statement thanking Big Sam for his immense contributions to the club and that they will be looking towards hiring a manager who can take them into a new era.

"“We would like to start by thanking Sam Allardyce for his valuable work since arriving at the Boleyn Ground four years ago.He leaves the club in a considerably better state then when he arrived and, for that, the board are truly grateful.However, we have made the decision not to renew his contract, so we now have the chance to appoint a new manager with a new philosophy to lead us into two of the most exciting years in our great club’s history.Our target is to recruit a manager that will build a team capable of saying a fitting farewell to the Boleyn Ground next year and do justice to the outstanding surrounds we will call home from August 2016.We have already been impressed with the quality of candidates that have expressed an interest in the role and fully expect to appoint a manager with the credentials to take this club on to new heights.From our point of view there isn’t a more exciting job in the Premier League at present.”Source: Sky Sports"

Allardyce claims that the decision to leave was mutual and insisted that he would have left anyway even if he was offered a new contract, and this decision is best for all the concerned parties.

“I think it’s right for both the club and myself. My time has been a fantastic time. I’ve really enjoyed the London scene, I’ve really enjoyed managing the club and I’ve really enjoyed the success we’ve gained from the period of time we’ve been together,” says the ex Bolton and Newcastle manager.