Premier League: West Ham's attacking makeover stalls

Carlton Cole has been chasing many a lost cause this summer

Negative pre-season results, strike rates and shot counts have caused West Ham pessimism to peak early...

Sam Allardyce was dealt an unusual request by his West Ham bosses last May when they decided against sacking him: "The board have insisted on improvements to the set-up of the playing and backroom staff to ensure the team provides more entertainment next season."

The obvious question that extraordinary statement posed was: how on earth do you accurately measure the entertainment that a side are serving up, short of giving fans feedback forms to hand in on their way out of the stadium, or installing a boo-o-meter?

If David Sullivan and David Gold's favoured research method is studying stats, they certainly won't be enjoying their pre-season reading. Six friendlies have churned out four goals. If that figure sounds poor, it is nothing compared to the ugliness of the eight shots on target that they have mustered.

There is an entirely reasonable case for saying that anyone who reads too much into results in non-competitive games is an idiot, yet it isn't so much scorelines as the recurrence of last term's stylistic concerns, attacker isolation and disconnect between manager and supporters that augurs awfully.

West Ham fans are doubtless among the Premier League's most vehement, but even accounting for that outspokenness, it is unusual and ominous to hear chants of "can we have a shot on goal", "we're s*** and we know we are" and "f*** off Sam Allardyce" in early August.

If the anti-Allardyce sentiment is this strong in exhibition matches - and the former Bolton boss had beer hurled at him as well as abuse - then it is only likely to gain in volume and disruptiveness once the important business starts against Tottenham on August 16. Spurs are 2.166/5 to triumph.

Though there have been impressive additions like Carl Jenkinson, Mauro Zarate and Enner Valencia, the confusion over Allardyce's future - coupled the ludicrous attempt to enforce a new adventurous approach - have stilted progress.

The owners have done little to solidify Allardyce's position, instead actively undermining him on numerous occasions, with the consequence being that he is the clear 2.486/4 favourite in the next manager to leave market.

However, his increasingly inevitable departure isn't expected too soon, with Big Sam 1.021/50 to still be in the dugout for the Premier League opener against Spurs.