Allardyce shrugs off fan criticism

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has played down criticism aimed in his direction from the club’s supporters.

Allardyce bore the brunt of fan dissatisfaction in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at relegation-threatened West Brom, with a banner unfurled calling for the 59-year-old to be sacked.

The setback at The Hawthorns marked a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat for the Upton Park outfit, and the West Ham faithful have become frustrated with an inconsistent season that has seen the club flirt with the drop.

However, Allardyce is calm about the situation and believes criticism is part and parcel of the modern game, also reaffirming his acceptance of the fans’ frustrations.

“We all get it (criticism) at some stage no matter who we are or who we’re with, if we’re not winning football matches,” he said.

“Fans show their disapproval quicker than at any other time I know now within the last 20 years. So we have to accept that change in the game and we have to keep them happy as best we can and the best way to keep them happy is to win football matches.

“So my responsibility is to build a better team than this one. Overall this season we haven’t really been as good as we should have been.

“We haven’t really produced enough results so getting better and improving that is obviously the highest thing on the agenda.”