Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers claims Sam Allardyce is doing an 'excellent job' at West Ham despite threat of being sacked

Allardyce needs a win against Cardiff or will likely be out of a job this weekend but Rodgers has backed the Hammers manager given the number of injuries he's had to deal with

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has been backed by Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers for doing an 'excellent job' given the number of injuries his squad have (GETTY IMAGES)

West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has been credited with doing an “excellent job” by opposite number Brendan Rodgers, with the Liverpool man claiming anyone would struggle to cope with the number of injuries that he has had to deal with this season.

The pressure is on Allardyce to get a result a result when his side travel to relegation rivals Cardiff City this weekend, and defeat could very well spell the end for the former Bolton, Blackburn and Newcastle manager.

But Rodgers, who is guiding a resurgent Reds side that remains in the hunt for the Premier League title, has given Allardyce is backing and claims that he has been a victim of misfortune rather than poor management.

Speaking to talkSPORT on the Alan Brazil Breakfast Show, Rodgers said: “He has had a horrendous run of injuries. He has lost all his defenders, but he is still asked to get the results.

“I think he has done an excellent job there. He got them promoted, which is never easy, coming out of the Championship is really tough, no matter how good a squad you have got.

“He had a great run with them last year, got them in around mid-table, and now unfortunately he has been hit with a lot of injuries.

“With big Andy [Carroll] being out for a lot of the season, that has probably hampered the style in which he has wanted to work, but is going to happen.

“You know there will be good days and bad days for you and obviously the last couple of games have been difficult for him but he has been around a long time. He has got great experience.

“I don’t know Sam that well but what I do know is, when I speak to him, he is very devoted to the profession of being a football manager. He is not just a manager who turns up and then stands on the side on a Saturday. He has very modern way of working.”

Liverpool face a trip to Stoke on Sunday as they continue to push their title credentials, but Rodgers said that the priority remains to secure a top four finish and a return to the Champions League, which they are currently on course to achieve.

“I think we are well on track for that,” said Rodgers when speaking about their top four credentials.

“In three years, we were given the objective to see if we could push to get into the Champions League. We knew it would be difficult in that first year but last year as a whole, in the calendar year, we have made great strides.

“For us this year, it is about being in the competition. We were never talked about [at the start of the season].

“We’ve started to work how I wanted to work and that has brought us results. We are on track, but when you are fourth you always want to be third or second and ultimately first.

“There are so many teams in the mix. As you move into this second part of this season, those teams that have that big squad, the likes of [Manchester] City, Chelsea and Arsenal, they are going to be really strong.

“For us, we are fighting to be up there and that is what we will continue to do.”