Newcastle United relegation: Why Sam Allardyce would love to send the Magpies down in his 'last game' for West Ham

As he prepares to leave another club that never appreciated him, how great to deliver a death kiss to a team that failed to love Big Sam

(Paul Gilham | Getty Images)

As one long, tortuous reign over a football club comes to an end, Sam Allardyce will hope he seals his tenure at West Ham by relegating another team that only allowed him a short, tortuous managerial spell.

On Sunday, Big Sam's Hammers travel to St James' Park to take on Newcastle United in the final game of the Premier League season, with the Claret and Blue army knowing that a win - coupled with a home victory for Hull against Manchester United - would relegate John Carver's troubled toons.

What a great feeling that would be for Allardyce, a man who feels his time was cut brutally short when he managed the Magpies, a "big club" that he felt could have helped propel his status as one of the great English managers of his generation. Appointed back in 2007, Allardyce lasted only 24 games at the club before being axed at the turn of 2008.

Speaking ahead of the clash, Allardyce said, "When you look at the ­situation from our point of view it’s about being ­professional, not about what we do because it's Newcastle and we were there. It's about trying to win there for our benefit and the justification for everybody else in terms of who are fighting that relegation battle."

Allardyce lasted only a few months at Newcastle United before parting ways. (ANDREW YATES | AFP | Getty Images)

One couldn't help but feel his next line was a parting shot for the fans and chairman of Newcastle, as well as those disgruntled many at the Boleyn ground today: "We have to try to do our very best. You can't show sympathy for anybody, because nobody shows any sympathy for you."

Allardyce is set to meet the West Ham board - the two Davids, Gold and Sullivan, and Karren Brady - on Monday, under 24 hours after the Newcastle game, and it is widely expected that the trio will not offer Big Sam a new contract, bringing to a close the reign of the second-longest serving manager in the Premier League.

Sam Allardyce has been in charge of West Ham since 2011, winning promotion back to the Premier League in his first season. (Matthew Lewis | Getty Images)

Big Sam hit out at those fans eager for him to leave, with the chairmen seemingly among that cohort as rumours abound about the likes of David Moyes, Rafa Benitez, Marcelo Bielsa and Slaven Billic set to takeover once Allardyce gets his inevitable marching orders on Monday.

Following the loss against Everton last weekend, with the Hammers having only managed three victories in the league since Christmas, when they sat fourth in the table, Allardyce said: "Everybody in the world of football has very short memories. It's only what happened a couple of weeks ago or next week that matters. What happened four months ago is forgotten, whether that's good, bad or indifferent. That's football."

Big Sam pointed out that he has only had to worry about West Ham being relegated in six weeks of four seasons in charge and one can't help feel that his ability to stabilise the Hammers after a decade of see-sawing from the Premier League to the Championship has not been fairly recognised. The claret and blue faithful have struggled to love Allardyce's "long-ball football", and with the club set to move to the 54,000-capacity Olympic Stadium next year, many in E13 are keen for the team to "progress."

Thus, Allardyce would love to win on Sunday. It would show that he has haven't given up fighting for his place on the West Ham front bench. It would ensure the Hammers finish in the top ten, as was asked. It could even guarantee the club a place in the Europa League through the fair play standings. It would also cap a successful season for the Hammers, despite the start to 2015. And, at the same time as reminding the Boleyn board just how good he has been for them, he would show Mike Ashley just how good he could have been for Newcastle, sending them tumbling down a division, just like what happened to the Magpies before when they let go of him all those years ago.