When big Sam Allardyce turned up at the Boleyn ground, many a Hammer fan thought that he wasn’t the right man for the job and didn’t exactly see eye to eye with him. He was appointed as Irons boss in summer 2011 and many fans reacted with mixed feelings thinking that the big man would not adhere to the West Ham philosophy.

When Allardyce signed on the dotted line just over a year ago, even the Hammer owners David Gold and David Sullivan appeared skeptical about the signing and offered him just a two year deal.

Big Sam has just over 6 months left on his current contract and has done what had been expected of him. He got the Hammers back into top flight football although not be achieving automatic promotion. Both the board and the fans have warmed to him as he has surpassed all expectations.

A lot of fans however are still refusing to see the positivity he has enthused on the club. At the moment the irons are sitting pretty at eleventh place and have spent for the most part of this season in the good half of the table. We’ve had some terrific free signings in the shape of Diame and Jussi and with a bit of luck, we’ll be fighting for a place in Europe next season. Out of the three sides that were promoted, West Ham United have been by a long way the better of the three.

The outfit that Allardyce has created looks sharp and a shadow of its former self when it was under the control of Avram Grant. Under Grant, the side caved in all too easily and if it weren’t for Scotty Parker, they would have gone down to the Championship sooner.

If West Ham finish in the top ten this season, and it looks certainly on the cards, it would be an outstanding feat for Allardyce. He is comfortable at the club, he can spend money and above all, has the players respect.

The board need to thrash out a deal with Sam Allardyce now before it’s too late. Allardyce has a habit of being sacked from clubs that he has turned around only to find them fluctuating and being relegated when he’s gone. Let’s not let this happen to the Hammers. West Ham united need Sam Allardyce more than ever. He’s done an awesome job and deserves the board’s respect with a new contract.