Allardyce: We must improve

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce acknowledged his side have work to do following another disappointing pre-season showing in Wellington.

Allardyce’s men were beaten 3-1 by Sydney FC on Saturday, having also lost to A-League opposition in midweek when Wellington Phoenix ran out 2-1 winners.

West Ham’s board have demanded “more entertainment” in the 2014-15 season, after fans frequently voiced their unhappiness with the club’s style of play last term.

Yet Allardyce feels attempts to provide more attacking football may have proven counter-productive thus far.

“We’ve played two games [on tour] and we’ve played poorly in them,” he conceded.

“The football was not good enough to get results but we’re experimenting and working on more open attacking play and it hasn’t worked well from a defensive point of view.”

While West Ham may have been expected to fare better against Sydney and Wellington, defender Winston Reid was not surprised by the challenge they faced.

He added: “I knew what to expect from the players who play in the New Zealand national team. A lot of them play in the A-League. They are not bad players at all.

“We came down here and we expected to do well and we didn’t do so well.

“We’ll go back home and work on some things.”

Sydney coach Graham Arnold was able to reflect more positively on Saturday’s fixture.

“Consistency is the key but if we can play like that every week [in the A-League], I’ll be a very happy man,” said Arnold.

“I’m very proud of the way the boys have handled themselves.”