Sam Allardyce Wants More Mourinho ‘Compliments’

Life has turned full circle for seasoned West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce since he last took his team to Chelsea.
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At the end of January the Hammers were mired in the relegation zone, the fans were calling for Allardyce to be sacked and he was the bookmakers’ favourite for the chop.
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They arrived at Stamford Bridge with 18 points from 22 games and even after a worthy 0-0 draw Chelsea Jose Mourinho accused Allardyce of playing “19th century” brand of football.
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Despite Mourinho’s stinging rebuke, it was a result that helped West Ham turn the corner and nearly a year on they are sitting pretty in fourth spot with 31 points from 17 matches and talk of a Champions League spot is not being dismissed.
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No wonder former Bolton boss Allardyce cannot keep the smile off his face as he prepares for the Boxing Day trip across London to take on Mourinho’s table-toppers.
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“It was memorable for how well we played!” Allardyce, who would welcome more criticism from the Portuguese on Friday, recalled of January’s goalless draw.
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“I think it was a compliment by the fact a frustrated manager vented his frustration about the fact that he couldn’t break down the team he was playing against.
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“Chelsea can beat you five or six-nil on their ground and I think, on the back of our results before we went there it would have made life for the owners even more difficult to get behind me – but that’s not water under the bridge, it’s water in the sea, water in the Atlantic Ocean it is that far gone.”
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The mood is completely different this time with a Hammers team bolstered by signings such as strikers Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia and former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song.
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Rather than just go and shut up shop, Allardyce will send his team to Stamford Bridge to attack.
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“This one is totally different. We’re fourth in the league this time and we’ve got better, younger players and hopefully we will go and give a good account of ourselves – and a good account of ourselves is getting a result, not playing well and a loss,” he said.
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Allardyce says Mourinho is the “best working club manager in the world at the moment” and his Chelsea counterpart, who has never lost a home London derby, has been impressed with West Ham’s progress this season.
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“I have seen them in a couple of games this season and they’re very strong. We expect a hard game, but we go into it with confidence, which is very important,” Mourinho said.