Season › 2017-18 › News
Allardyce: We could have earned a draw

Sam Allardyce cited a great performance from West Ham goalkeeper Adrian as the reason for his team's defeat the London Stadium today while also admitting for the first time that he is not sure whether he will see out the remainder of his Everton contract.
Though the Blues went down 3-1 in their final game of the season, they held on to eighth place thanks to Leicester City's defeat to Tottenham Hotspur but there has been plenty of press speculation that there could be further managerial change at Goodison Park in the coming days.
Allardyce said he was pleased with the way his side responded to his change of formation in the second half after they had fallen behind to Mario Lanzini's opener but was frustrated by the form of the Hammers' goalkeeper who made crucial saves to deny Oumar Niasse before and after the Senegal striker eventually scored to make it 2-1 and also from substitute Theo Walcott.
“It's disappointing [to lose on the basis] that the chances we missed were better than the chances they scored with,” Allardyce said after the game, “but then you have to give a huge amount of credit to Adrian in their goal who was absolutely outstanding with three top-class saves. At any other time, all three should have gone in.
“And then the two goals West Ham scored were pretty good efforts. Jordan's pretty disappointed he didn't stop at least one and that was the difference in the end.
“I thought we played an awful lot better in the second half than we did in the first. I had to change the system at half time and that suited us better, we controlled midfield better.
“Unfortunately, the second goal that went in got them 2-0 up and we could've recovered from that with the goal from Oumar. We had chances when they were 3-1 up to get 3-2 and make a game of it.
“There was no point in sitting back; more than anything else we were trying to go all out to try and get at least a point out of it.
“At the end of the day, eighth is a really good finish from where the beginning was. For me it's been a great journey that the players have taken the club on from now and until then because I've had other clubs where I've had to wait very nervously til the last one or two games of the season — Blackburn, Sunderland, Crystal Palace — but the Everton boys have taken us out of trouble with many weeks to go.
Allardyce was less amenable to taking questions during his sit-down press conference a few minutes later. The inevitable questions over his future were raised during a brief, three-minute exchange.
After reiterating that he has a contract for another year, the 63-year-old was asked if he was confident of seeing it out.
“Confident?” he replied. “I can't quite say after all the rumours I'm reading in the paper because generally there's something and there's no smoke without fire. But I'll wait and see when we meet up this week.
When he was quizzed over when any meeting with Everton's chairman, Bill Kenwright, and major shareholder Farhad Moshiri might take place, he retorted: "I wouldn't be telling you if I did."
Reader Comments (47)
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2 Posted 13/05/2018 at 20:33:53
3 Posted 13/05/2018 at 20:35:09
4 Posted 13/05/2018 at 20:35:42
Energetic, decisive, quick and basically much better at just doing the simple things.
I'm struggling to recall the last time Everton genuinely outclassed an opponent.
Earlier in the season we got damn lucky with all the penalties we got late in games and the ones missed against us, it's clearly contributed to us getting 8th but we have never in any game all season looked that much better than any opponents
A midfield trio of Davies, Gueye and Schneiderlin should never never ever be used again in the Premier League, it offers absolutely nothing nothing nothing!!
The old guard needs putting out to grass now, they aren't going to get any better.
We need a better front three that can actually look threatening from time to time.
Basically we need a bloody miracle!!!
5 Posted 13/05/2018 at 20:38:04
6 Posted 13/05/2018 at 20:38:43
7 Posted 13/05/2018 at 20:45:15
8 Posted 13/05/2018 at 20:59:29
Caught up with the gents about 6.30 for a swift couple. The news will be no surprise, we are just shite and about the the worst team they have seen all season. The worst away team !! A poor game all round was the home fans opinion.
Both managers got barracked all game, by both sets of fans was the only thing worth reporting. Bye Bye Sam
9 Posted 13/05/2018 at 21:01:37
He made a lot of noise about finishing the season unbeaten and getting to 54 points. Instead we bowed out with a pair of utterly limp performances. If that was his case for getting another season, there's truly nothing more to be said. Moshiri should have pulled the trigger already.
10 Posted 13/05/2018 at 21:26:11
Can we have a decent manager please. And as for Mr Walsh . I think he can take the same taxi as the other two muppets.
11 Posted 13/05/2018 at 21:36:18
I really really worry for our club.
12 Posted 13/05/2018 at 21:41:45
13 Posted 13/05/2018 at 22:01:21
14 Posted 13/05/2018 at 22:21:00
If anyone can find the Phycologist, we need to sack him first, then the Football Director and finally Big Sam.
What drivel he comes out with.
15 Posted 13/05/2018 at 22:30:34
16 Posted 13/05/2018 at 22:40:09
17 Posted 13/05/2018 at 22:47:36
Please just go, please just bloody go, you are a clown.
18 Posted 13/05/2018 at 22:57:00
Yes I was there today. To be honest, everyone seemed baffled by that sub, not just me. The whole away end started booing!
We were getting beat and he took a striker off for Walcott, who was asked to cut in from the left. I would have preferred him to keep the 2 strikers on, and Walcott to have played on the wing. It would have been nice to have a go at them - it was only West Ham after all.
19 Posted 13/05/2018 at 23:00:16
People might say he wasn't getting service but he needs to learn to get himself involved in games more, a bit like Niasse who is limited but makes himself a nuisance.
Tosun needs to start making bad balls into good balls and showing a bit more hold up play and mobility.
20 Posted 14/05/2018 at 00:11:24
21 Posted 14/05/2018 at 00:11:59
Shame the bbc got rid of the testcard with the girl doing noughts and crosses, would have made better viewing.
Thank god this season is over with.
22 Posted 13/05/2018 at 00:16:08
Some people seem to think the manager deserves a pat on the back for what he has done. I definitely don't disagree with that, but if anyone can't see that he has also been preening and angling to be kept on then they haven't been watching the same stuff as me.
Ta very much and pat on the back for not getting relegated, now off you pop (with your £6 million bonus) and vacate the role for someone who might take the team (and the club) to the next level.
23 Posted 14/05/2018 at 00:35:16
24 Posted 14/05/2018 at 00:35:22
25 Posted 14/05/2018 at 00:36:01
Can't wait to write off this whole screwed-up season as a Mulligan and start over.
26 Posted 14/05/2018 at 01:38:59
27 Posted 14/05/2018 at 01:42:45
That's brilliant. If only Tosun would make all the bad balls into good balls, then there would be no such thing as a bad ball!! It's so simple. Reminds me of Zoolander, "the files are INSIDE the computer, it's so simple".
Tosun had nothing to feed on because the buffet was never set out by Sam. He set up with 5 at the back, and yes it was 5 at the back and not 3, with 2 defensive midfielders and Davies expected to be the creative source. Davies is not that player, at all, in any way. We were useless. We had no midfield to bridge back to front. Tosun had every right to be angry as should all of us.
At one point we ended up with 4 central midfielders on the pitch, Niasse up top and Walcott just lost. It was a joke, zero tactical awareness of planning at all. How Sam wasn't sacked and just left in London is beyond me.
28 Posted 14/05/2018 at 02:14:35
29 Posted 14/05/2018 at 02:54:59
Sad end of the sad season... Sam has to go.
30 Posted 14/05/2018 at 03:42:30
I think you will have seen why I don't rate Keane.
He has the turning speed of the Titanic and the awareness of its captain.
Thought NIasse and Davies had decent games thought.
The rest of em should have the same question marks as the coaching staff.
Are they good enough???
31 Posted 14/05/2018 at 07:42:49
32 Posted 14/05/2018 at 08:11:39
Watch Vardy and Kane last night for what top strikers do mate!
Not every ball is on a sixpence to the forward is it?
Compare yesterday Tosun and Niasse.
Niasse is limited but he has a habit of making him a pest, a nuisance and getting chances.
Tosun didn't do enough yesterday to warrant staying on in my opinion, he needs to show more for a £27 million pound player.
A simple observation mate that's all!
33 Posted 14/05/2018 at 09:14:48
Arnoutovic yesterday made his own space and finished well. Tosun needs to knuckle down and watch a few videos of how it's done in the EPL
34 Posted 14/05/2018 at 09:16:24
35 Posted 14/05/2018 at 09:34:15
Clearly Niasse is not the long term answer but, of our current strikers, he's the one I'd keep - as an impact sub mostly. DCL I'd loan out, Tosun I'd move on. That's assuming we buy a first choice, quality striker in the summer. Siggi at no 10, Lookman on the left, new boy in the middle, Walcott on the right.
36 Posted 14/05/2018 at 10:02:42
Not everyone is Kane or Salah but even when the team is playing poor it's about trying to get yourself in a game and again going back to Niasse, it was only when he came on last week against Southampton we began looking a bit of a threat with movement and that their defenders started looking a bit like “hang on this geezer looks a pain in the arseâ€.
It's sometimes about nuisance factor.
A master of the nuisance factors were Tim Cahill and Steven Naismith and those lads didn't do too badly.
37 Posted 14/05/2018 at 12:16:00
I am also truly hoping, as I'm sure are many others, that his days with us are numbered, (single digits) at least we can breathe fresh air, as opposed to the stench of this cretin.
As many have alluded, Allardyce is basically the tip of an iceberg, with problems at all levels within the structure of the Club. I obviously include Moshiri, why did he knee jerk and appoint this greed-fuelled charlatan in the first place?
Then having made that error, compounds it by giving him an 18 month contract, I understood he was supposed to be a savvy businessman, yet displays the actions of a drowning desperado!
Many are calling too, and quite rightly so, for a wholesale clear-out of playing staff. The problem here is they are all on lucrative contracts and most will rather just twiddle their thumbs and await any unlikely offers.
Like I have mentioned before, staff either playing, coaching or even at Board level, do come and go, with more than commensurate remuneration.
We, as fans have more passion and commitment than any of them, yet we are the ones truly demoralised after a defeat like the one yesterday, devoid of any passion or application on the field.
The next appointment is gladly anticipated, I just hope it is the correct one to gradually get back to where we should be.
38 Posted 14/05/2018 at 13:23:09
39 Posted 14/05/2018 at 13:24:17
40 Posted 14/05/2018 at 13:26:50
41 Posted 14/05/2018 at 13:49:38
Just googled Allardyce and prozone and I got this "Sam Allardyce's passion for sports science, statistics and psychology" So I did my own analysis; we have played the formation 7 times this season, and it's P7 W0 D2 L5 GoalsFor 5 Against 16 Pts 2.
Well if he's a master of stats, analysis etc he didn't pay too much attention to them when he was picking the team yesterday.
I've got a good stat for you Sam..with ٤ million you'll pocket being our manager you'll never have to work again, so your retirement beckons..fuck off now.
42 Posted 14/05/2018 at 14:56:51
The delay with Brands, Allardyce and the rest of the board only serve to make me more doubtful of Moshiri.
Ruthless and decisive is the required leadership set not dithering and dopey which despite his business record he doesn't exude.
An accountant at heart, USA risk adverse person suited to owning a football club?
43 Posted 14/05/2018 at 14:58:42
But if the team planned to lose to get S A out then hopefully it works.
It's not like this bunch haven't downed tools before.
44 Posted 14/05/2018 at 15:04:33
45 Posted 14/05/2018 at 15:13:12
I sincerely hope you are wrong but I have seen that Pickford attempt on the second goal and I admit I did raise that question myself of “did he let that in on purpose?â€.
I doubt Pickford would be ever be unprofessional, at least I hope he wouldn't be because if that ever was the case of the overpaid prima donnas throwing matches deliberately to quicken the sacking on any manager then I'd never want that character representing my club again no matter who it was.
It probably was just a terrible error of judgment on Pickford's part, it can happen, it's something he needs to work on and his concentration needs it too at times, but I'm certain with age that will come.
As is well known goalkeepers don't blossom until late 20's to 30's.
46 Posted 14/05/2018 at 18:51:41
47 Posted 14/05/2018 at 19:12:37
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1 Posted 13/05/2018 at 20:16:11