Sam Allardyce says he is more flexible than Roberto Martinez

Sam Allardyce feels Everton have suffered from their added workload this season

Allardyce's West Ham will host Everton on Tuesday night (Getty) (Getty)

Sam Allardyce believes he is more tactically flexible than Everton’s Roberto Martinez as the West Ham manager watches his counterpart struggle in his second season at Goodison Park.

Good results have been harder to come by for Martinez and Everton are just three points clear of the relegation zone.

Allardyce, who welcomes Martinez and his team to Upton Park tonight for their FA Cup third-round replay, said yesterday: “For me, it has always been about adapting and suiting the players the best way possible to win football matches.

“While Everton are having a sticky patch, I’m not sure that is down to Roberto’s philosophy. Because they have had the extra games with the Europa League, it has told.

“I’m a little bit more flexible than Roberto – he is a total believer in one style,” he added. “ Where I have come from ... [in] the lower-leagues ... you have got some ageing players whose best years are behind them and you have got to put them out to get results, because if you lose your job at that stage, you don’t get another one.

“[It] teaches you that you have a philosophy in the way you want to play, but if that doesn’t suit the players you have you cannot keep that philosophy.”