Sam Must Show He Is Moving Club In Right Direction!

Last updated : 08 November 2007 By Footy Mad - Editor

Allardyce has come under pressure following successive Premier League defeats to Reading and Portsmouth, and some fans showed their disgust at the performance last weekend by voting with their feet.

Many were gone with still 20 minutes to play, and if Sam didn't know how big the job is at St James' Park ... he does now!

Mort: "We are like any supporter, we lurch from one result to the next and we are affected by each game and how well we do.

"But from our perspective we have to take a more long term to medium-term view. We are not going to leap to any rash decisions.

"We are not going to entertain stories like the one we had on Sunday saying that we were going to get rid of Sam because we have lost two games on the trot. We're not going to get into that type of mindset.

"We have a much more long-term view about building the club over a prolonged period of time so that the club can compete at a higher level.

"That is going to take time, but on and off the field we feel the club is moving in the right direction.

"I think the Premier League, generally this season, seems to be more short-term inclined. There seems to be a real short-term thinking in the football business, which we want to resist.

"We absolutely want to hear what fans have to say, but we still take a medium and a long-term view, and we will not be swayed from that by two defeats on the trot, no matter how disappointing they may be.

"Chopping and changing managers here hasn't worked and the success stories at other clubs are usually connected with longevity.

"I think we always had a sense that his club has an intense reaction to what happens on the pitch week to week. We have a club that has a massive following and the team and the club is a massive part of people's lives in this part of the world.

"Because of that, there does tend to be a bigger swing in emotions. One minute it is full of optimism and we are going to qualify for the Champions League, then you lose two games and it's, 'Right, who's going to be the next manager?' The swings are incredible.

"We need to take away the roller-coaster aspect of the club.

"There is a danger of over-optimism after a few wins and a massive amount of pessimism if we lose.

"We have to make sure we keep taking the club forward, and it would be wrong to have a major negative reaction if we lost two games on the trot.

"If we are going to take the club to where we want it to be, we must take a longer-term view on things.

"Talk of other managers coming in is disappointing. It is tittle-tattle and it is unfortunate because there are lots of fans who hear it and are concerned it is actually correct, when it is not.

"The Premier League is a pressurised environment and we do not need to add to that by speculating on managers."