West Ham Season Preview: Big Sam set to deliver more mid-table fare

Sam Allardyce is a master at doing what's necessary to survive

West Ham have strengthened in some key areas says Mike Norman and our man believes that Sam Allardyce's men will comfortably finish in mid-table while perhaps enjoying a good cup run...

Last Season

West Ham may have had one of the best clean sheet records in the Premier League but scoring goals was undoubtedly their main problem. The Hammers failed to find the net in no fewer than 15 league games while midfielder Kevin Nolan was the club's top goalscorer in all competitions with just seven.

A poor run of results around the New Year time - that included a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Championship side Nottm Forest in the FA Cup and a 6-0 defeat to Manchester City in the League Cup - saw West Ham become one of the favourites for relegation, but as he often does Sam Allardyce turned results around and the club would eventually finish a very respectable 13th in the table.

Ins and Outs

The Hammers' big summer signing is Honduras striker Enner Valencia with the club splashing out 12m on the man who scored three goals at the World Cup. He'll work closely with new attacking coach Teddy Sheringham who joined the club following a surprising meeting between Allardyce and his employers, with the result seemingly being Big Sam could keep his job if a new attacking coach was brought in.

Other notable arrivals at Upton Park are exciting full-back Aaron Creswell from Ipswich, former Lazio striker Mauro Zarate, Carl Jenkinson on a season-long loan from Arsenal, and highly rated Senegalese midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate from Belgian side Anderlecht.

Despite a number of fringe players leaving the club, including Hammers favourite Joe Cole, Allardyce still has a very big squad at his disposal and you'd have to think that a number of players still need to depart if he is to strike a happy relationship between them all.

Manager

There are few managers in the Premier League with more experience than Big Sam, and whatever you think of his playing style he more often than not gets the job done. When all seemed lost midway through last season he turned results around and guided West Ham to safety, and that's perhaps his biggest weapon - when the chips are down he usually delivers.

He'll get accused of playing boring, long-ball football many times, but given the right players he is a manager who is more than capable of getting his sides to play some excellent football. Don't expect him to quit if matters get tough, but do expect him to work even harder and get the best out of an average bunch of players.

Expectations

West Ham look to have brought in some decent players, strengthening their squad in key areas, like in attack with Andy Carroll seemingly injured forever. And with a move to the Olympic Stadium coming in two seasons the Hammers faithful will expect to remain a Premier League club until then. They'll want to avoid being in relegation scraps for the next two years however, and a mid-table finish this season will give them plenty of hope for the future.

Best Bet

My thinking is that West Ham will be absolutely fine this season, but they won't threaten the top seven or eight positions and I don't think they'll be involved at the bottom of the table, so finding a wager is extremely difficult. They can be backed at 3.211/5 for a Top 10 Finish but that's doesn't appeal at all.

You can lay the Hammers in the same market at 3.39/4, and although that won't get you rich I can imagine the big players getting involved. If they finish 11th or lower - and I strongly believe they will - then you collect.

Value Bet

Like all the clubs that are expected to finish around the mid-table region West Ham's best chance of giving their fans something to cheer is by having a good cup run. With a bit of luck in the draw, and perhaps facing a few clubs who have their sights set on bigger targets, a quarter-final or semi-final isn't out of the question.

West Ham can be backed at 38.037/1 to win the Capital One Cup and at 55.054/1 to win the FA Cup. Backing either or both from the outset might provide some trading opportunities further down the line.