West Ham United Under Sam Allardyce
Following the dismissal of Grant, on 1 June 2011, West Ham appointed Sam Allardyce as their manager. He signed Abdoulaye Faye, Kevin Nolan, Joey O'Brien and Matt Taylor. Faye, Nolan and O'Brien had all played under Allardyce at his former club Bolton Wanderers whilst Taylor was a Bolton player he had joined after Allardyce had left the club. His first game in charge, on 7 August 2011 was a loss by a late goal to Cardiff City. He made striker John Carew West Ham's fifth signing of the season, on a free transfer, followed by defender George McCartney from Sunderland on a season-long loan, strikers Sam Baldock from MK Dons and midfielder Papa Bouba Diop on a free transfer. He concluded his summer business with late scoops on deadline day for midfielders David Bentley from Tottenham Hotspur and Henri Lansbury from Arsenal, both on season-long loans and utility man Guy Demel from Hamburg for an undisclosed fee making him Allardyce's 12th purchase of the 2011 summer transfer window. Nicky Maynard, Ricardo Vaz Te and Ravel Morrison followed in the 2011 winter transfer window. In March 2012, despite standing in third place in the league Allardyce's style of football was questioned as at his previous club Newcastle United. Fans called for more passing of the ball and football played on the pitch and not in the air. Despite only eight defeats all season and a record 13 away wins they finished third in the Championship behind Reading and Southampton and entered the play-offs. In May 2012 West Ham were promoted back to the Premier League after only one season in The Championship after winning the 2012 Football League Championship play-off Final.
Read more about this topic: History Of West Ham United F.C.
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