A 10-man West Ham United led by sophisticated manager Sam Allardyce scraped out a scoreless draw against Southampton. Oh, did I say “sophisticated manager”? The manager who replaced striker Enner Valencia at the half with Matt Jarvis? The manager who took off striker Diafra Sakho in favor of an injured Andy Carroll, who promptly injured himself more (He left St. Mary’s Stadium on crutches: view here.), and hobbled around the pitch for the last 15 minutes, really putting West Ham down to 9 men? Well, in my eyes, rather than being sophisticated, Sam Allardyce is a survival king; a manager who saves teams who are in a relegation battle.

Sam Allardyce, the man who claimed how he “would be more suited to Inter Milan or Real Madrid.” The man who stated how “It wouldn’t be a problem for me to manage those clubs because I would win the double or the league every time.” And the man who declared that he should be given Manchester United or Chelsea, and he would do the same, “it wouldn’t be a problem,” has had a knack for solving worse problems: relegation. Maybe West Ham is too high up on the table for you? Maybe a return to a club lower in the league could do you and that club some good.

Well Big Sam, I’ve got good news for you! Aston Villa and Queens Park Rangers may be the perfect job. No, it’s not Chelsea or Manchester United, but it’s what you’re good at, saving a season. Harry Redknapp stepped down from QPR on the 3rd of February, and Aston Villa have now sacked Paul Lambert. QPR lies just outside the relegation zone at 17th, while Villa faces relegation at 18th. It seems the perfect situation, and there is just enough time, for you to take over and scrape out a few low quality wins to maintain their Premiership.

“I don’t think there is any coach more sophisticated than me any more,” Allardyce said. “That’s not trying to criticize any other coaches. But there is only Arsene Wenger who has done it longer than me. I’m just as good as everybody at this stage.” Excuse me for one minute, Gaffer, if I may. We are all familiar with Wenger’s trophy drought, but at least he won a trophy. Can we really even say you have had a trophy drought? Sure, you successfully promoted Notts County to Division 2 in 1998. And you promoted Bolton Wanderers to the Premier League in 2001. And of course, most recently, you promoted West Ham United to the Premiership in 2012. But what have you done in the Premier League?

Does 13 years of experience put you above the rest? I’m sorry to inform you, but your win percentage of only 34% is not very impressive. Next time, before you claim that you are “more sophisticated,” look at what you have done in the league. I will be the first to commend you on such an impressive turn around from last season. The ugly hoof-ball played all last season hasn’t been seen much of this year, and West Ham’s place in the league, 8th, has been a joy to behold. But the shift in your style does not permit you to complain about the long-ball style Manchester United and Louis van Gaal displayed on Sunday, especially since it actually panned out and van Gaal’s side tied it in the 93rd minute. “In the end, we couldn’t cope with the long balls Manchester United kept putting in the box,” said Allardyce. “It was just, thump it forward and see what they could get. In the end, it paid off for them.”

However, instead of being irritated at the tactics employed by Manchester United, I found myself exasperated at how, as soon as Cheikhou Kouyaté scored, West Ham sat back instead of continuing the attack. A 1-0 lead is never safe against Manchester United, not with the likes of Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, and Radamel Falcao on attack. But in the end it was Daley Blind who gutted West Ham supporters, who were hopeful for their first win against Manchester United since 2007.

West Ham United have yet to offer Big Sam a new contract, as his ends this summer. Sam Allardyce has brought life back into West Ham, but I’m not sure he is the one to lead the East London club to the promised land. It has been the players this season who have bailed Allardyce out many times. Kouyaté’s hustle, filling in at centre back instead of his normal midfield role, and Jussi Jääskeläinen’s strong goalkeeping after Adrián was sent off, that sealed a draw at Southampton. It wasn’t any sophisticated strategy that secured the point, as much as you like to believe.