MX23RW : Thursday, February 6 13:52:54| >> :120:7797:7797:

West Brom manager Sam Allardyce relishing West Ham return

West Brom manager Sam Allardyce relishing West Ham return
© Reuters
He got West Ham promoted to the Premier League in 2012 via the Championship play-offs.

West Brom boss Sam Allardyce is relishing a return to West Ham after breathing fresh life into the Baggies' survival hopes.

Albion go to the London Stadium on Tuesday following Saturday's vital 3-2 derby win at Wolves.

They are looking for back-to-back top-flight wins for the first time since 2018.

The Hammers have been in the Premier League since Allardyce took them back via the Championship play-offs in 2012.

He left the club in 2015 and was replaced by Slaven Bilic – who he succeeded at The Hawthorns when Bilic was axed by the Baggies last month – and is proud of his achievements in east London.

"I'm glad you said that, that they're in the Premier League because of me. I had four very good years there, took them up in the first year and had three fantastic years in the Premier League," said Allardyce.

"It's nice to see them maintain that position and trying to improve on it. It was a job well done and going back can only be a joy to me if we get a result.

"There are several clubs with massive problems with home results. A lot of clubs have had to wait patiently to get some home wins. The overall average, was there are more away wins than home wins, certainly it was two weeks ago.

"It shows you what difference it makes with no fans. Because the fans aren't there maybe the mentality of the players means we can play more freely because they're not being intimidated by the home fans.

"We have also struggled at home to get a result and when that comes around we have to focus on that."

Conor Gallagher is available after a ban and Sam Johnstone may return after missing the game at Molineux with coronavirus.

Matt Phillips was also suffering from Covid-19 last week while Grady Diangana (hamstring), Karlan Grant (foot) and Conor Townsend (knee) are out.

Saturday's Black Country derby win was just Albion's second league victory of the season, although Brighton's 1-0 win at Leeds meant second-from-bottom Baggies are five points from safety.

"West Ham is now about trying to come off the pitch undefeated. We can't go down and say 'we're going to win' in the position we are in," said Allardyce.

"This (beating Wolves) is one result which gives us confidence. We have to apply ourselves as well as we did on Saturday and take our chances when they come along.

"The small criticism I have is not converting chances from open play, we have to improve that because our goals came from two penalties and a throw in.

"We can't always rely on set plays and it's something we can work on.
It comes around very quickly now. The lads have to recover and show the confidence they have gained."

ID:431100: cacheID:431100:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:4552:
Written by
P A
Restore Data
Share this article now:
West Bromwich Albion manager Sam Allardyce reacts on January 16, 2021
Read Next:
Five talking points ahead of this week's Premier League fixtures
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leeds UnitedLeeds31199362194366
2Burnley31161323792861
3Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd30196541212061
4Sunderland301610445261958
5Blackburn RoversBlackburn31136123531445
6West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom301014639271244
7Middlesbrough301281049391044
8Norwich CityNorwich30119104942742
9Bristol City30101283835342
10Sheffield WednesdaySheff Weds30119104346-342
11Coventry CityCoventry31118124140141
12Watford30125134042-241
13Queens Park RangersQPR311011103540-541
14Millwall301010103027340
15Preston North EndPreston3081393338-537
16Oxford UnitedOxford Utd31910123445-1137
17Swansea CitySwansea3097143242-1034
18Stoke CityStoke30711122837-932
19Cardiff CityCardiff30710133351-1831
20Portsmouth3079143652-1630
21Hull City3078153140-929
22Derby CountyDerby3076173241-927
23Luton TownLuton3076173049-1927
24Plymouth ArgylePlymouth30510152963-3425


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!