Who may be waiting in the wings to replace Big Sam?
West Ham’s crushing 4-0 defeat to West Brom in the FA Cup has once again led to questions about Sam Allardyce’s future at Upton Park. Here are six managers who The Mirror believe could take over at the Boleyn Ground, if Big Sam does find himself on the managerial scrapheap…
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David Moyes
The current Real Sociedad manager had a torrid time at Manchester United, so a spell away from the pressures of the English game was required. But Moyes has done a decent job in San Sebastian, and the strong rumours of striking a deal with Burnley striker Danny Ings suggests that the 51-year-old still has a good rapport with players, which may be required with Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia linked with summer moves. You would imagine there is nothing that Moyes would like more than to come back to the Premier League and prove his doubters wrong.
Harry Redknapp
Redknapp resigned from QPR just after the January transfer window, following the news that he requires knee surgery. It is unlikely that we will see Redknapp even linked with a managerial role before the end of the season, but if the West Ham board decide to wait until the summer to dispose of Allardyce, it may represent the perfect opportunity for the former Hammers boss to return. And of the current crop of contenders, who better to lead West Ham into the Olympic Stadium era than the man who delivered their highest ever Premier League finish and UEFA Cup football.
Slaven Bilic
The current Besiktas manager spent one and a half seasons with West Ham in the late 1990’s and holds cult hero status at the club. His managerial success with the Croatian national team bought his name to the attention of the continent, and since has been linked with numerous high profile clubs. He has yet to take a job in England, but perhaps the lure of working at one of his former clubs may be the persuasion he needs to come to the Premier League.
Glenn Hoddle
The former England manager should definitely be considered an outsider for the job, having not managed a club in England since leaving Wolves in 2006. His strong links with Tottenham would also make him a very unpopular choice initially. But you can’t deny his vast experience would help a club like West Ham maintain a regular top-half finish in the Premier League.
Teddy Sheringham
West Ham’s style of play has changed drastically this year, and they especially look a completely different team in front of goal. This could largely be put down to the impact of former striker Sheringham, who has been a coach at the club since May 2014. His lack of managerial experience would definitely count against him in such a high profile job, but his knowledge of the club will endear his selection to the fans.
6) Michael Laudrup
When Tony Fernandes suggested that he had found his dream manager for the QPR job, thoughts turned to the former Danish international. With relegation looking a very real possibility, and no guarantee that they’ll even be in the Championship if they do go down, you could understand why the current Lekhwiya manager turned QPR down. But perhaps the prospect of joining a club not entirely out of contention for a European spot for next season may just be enough to bring Laudrup back to England.