Allardyce on... Chelsea

  • by Staff Writer
  • Saturday, 1st December 2012

Big up, Big Sam... Mr Allardyce reflects on a job thoroughly well done. His post-match press conference exclusively in full for you here on KUMB.com...

Sam: How are you feeling? A great celebration at the end?

I couldn't control my emotions so well today, I must admit! To play one of our big rivals in a local derby - at the end of a week that's been very tough for us - and to finish in that style with that result is just one of those outstanding moments for me this season.

I wouldn't say we looked dead and buried, but we looked like we were going to find it difficult to get back into the game after they scored. But the tactics we used to expose the opposition [combined with the way] the lads applied themselves - which is about belief, the desire and the quality; those three things were upped to a massive level in the second half.

We started almost from the first whistle and continued until they cracked. They cracked in the end and we won 3-1 - and deservedly so, I thought, in the end.

There were times at the other end when some of our defending needed to be desperate and our goalkeeper needed to pull off some top-class saves. That is always needed when you play a team of Chelsea's size. In the end it's just been an outstanding victory for us at the end of a very difficult six days, with the three teams that we've played.

Would you say that was one of the best half-time substitutions you've ever made?

We changed it tactically as well as making substitutions. For the want of a better word we 'over-complicated' it in the first half instead of keeping it simple. The simple thing was Carlton Cole and playing it to him. He was having a very good game - and that was in the first half - but the trouble was, we weren't playing it to him.

If we were going to play it to him he'd cause the central defenders some problems. Then, we can break off the midfield players and get players like Mo Diame in the game. Then his contribution comes into play. Then we started to sustain pressure. Instead of Chelsea's full-backs running at our defence, our two wide men were running at Chelsea's full-backs and getting in behind them. Then it was a question of "will we score - and if we do, when will it be?"

I have to say, 15 minutes had gone by and I was thinking "we've had a great spell here but we haven't [scored] and Chelsea will come back in the game somewhere".

Then we did score - and Chelsea came back into the game again. Some great defending and some good saves by Jussi but in the end our fitness came through. We continued to run and run and wore Chelsea down. Then the quality came out and we scored two very, very good goals at the end. The old adage; what a game of two halves.

Do you feel some sympathy for Rafa [Benitez]? To see him under continuous pressure from his own fans?

I said to the players in the team talk that a lot of you lads had been saying that the Chelsea players would probably be relieved to play away from home . I said to our players "make sure it's not the case" - but I have to say that in the first half, it was the case!

Chelsea really should have finished us off, let's be honest about this. I don't pull any punches, I don't hide behind the fact that they were much better than we were. But they didn't finish us off and because they didn't they paid the price. We've played many games like that in the past where we've been better than the opposition, not finished them off and suffered the consequences. Today they've suffered and we've ended up beating them fair and square.

Without over-simplifying it it seemed like it was all about desire, commitment and character really?

Well there was quality at the end of it but we didn't see enough of that quality in the first half. After we conceded the goal we went on the backfoot; our passing went astray, we kept passing it back to the opposition. You're passing it to top-class players so you're having to defend more and more desperately as the first half went on and then they started to create more and more chances.

Keep the ball off them and keep the ball in the areas where they don't like - that's quality in behind their full backs, as their full backs bomb on and leave so much space. If you don't play there and don't run there it's difficult to cause them a problem. But we did in the second half.

Substitutions are a big decision, we decided to make ours at half time. We're not to forget that Matt Taylor made a good contribution as well as Mo Diame. Then of course Modibo Maiga scored the third one. Chelsea, at any stage in the last few minutes would throw caution to the wind and with the quality they've got they might have sneaked an equaliser - but they didn't, we got the third and it's ended up being a great day for the fans and everybody involved in West Ham.

Does it make it any sweeter that it was against Chelsea and Rafa?

It makes it great for us because it's Chelsea, it's our local rivals. We're 3-2 up on local derbies; we beat QPR, we beat Fulham and we've beaten Chelsea - so we're 3-2 up.

So no sympathy for Rafa then, Sam?

Well we don't have sympathy for each other, do we? We don't. We compete against each other; we toil against each other; we play mind-games against each other; we have to outweigh each other tactically and in the end, we came out on top today.



Is the victory that much sweeter following the bad news about Andy Carroll?

Well it is judging by Carlton Cole's performance, certainly - and it's a huge confidence boost for Modibo Maiga coming on again and scoring. We need him now more than ever before, we need him to adjust to the Premier League. Him and Carlton are going to be major players for us if we contine to go on.

We've stayed in the top half of the table from the very first whistle of the season to this stage, more than a third into the season. We've never been out of the top half and we're back in the top half again which shows just how good and determined the players are and the desire they have.

What ligament is it he's injured?

It's a lateral ligament which is the outside of the knee. It's in a brace.

What happens now? Does he stay at the club?

He stays with us, yes. We've contacted Liverpool; Liverpool have got all the information. Liverpool sent a medical representative down when Andy went to visit the specialist - they use the same specialist as we do - and the specialist has given this diagnosis of what to do. Hopefully Andy will recover as quickly as the specialist said he might.

Your old club, Blackburn; when you left there the fans never got behind the manager who came in. Do you think it's possible to manage a club when you don't have the fans backing?

You can't do it. You can't do it if the fans are not behind you, it just won't happen. The only way you can get the fans behind you is to win. That's all you can do, you've got to win. If you're winning games of football the fans will always be behind you.

What did you think about the disallowed Nolan goal?

I said to the fourth official that if you have a look at Benteke's goal for Aston Villa against Reading you'll see why I'm complaining so badly. He gave me a wry smile and say he didn't see it, but I knew he had!

Thank you lads.



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