Allardyce lifts the lid on relationship with Wenger ahead of Emirates clash

By Dave Evans, West Ham correspondent Wednesday, January 23, 2013
7:00 AM

West Ham boss Sam Allardyce admits that he doesn’t get along with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger and he will be desperate to get one over him tonight when the teams meet in the Premier League at the Emirates.

The pair have had a number of run-ins in the past and although none of Allardyce’s successes have come at Arsenal, he is hopeful that West Ham can get something from tonight’s clash.

“We don’t get on,” admitted Allardyce. “I think way back we had some tussles.

“If we beat Arsenal in the past it was because of the long ball, or we used to get labelled physical.

“It was a frustration that used to make me really enjoy the fact that we had beaten and Arsenal team with a Thierry Henry and a Patrick Vieira and players like that.”

There is no Henry or Vieira in the Arsenal team tonight, but Allardyce admits that it is going to be very tough.

“If Arsenal are in top form then they will beat us, however well we play,” he admitted.

“What we have to do is get in among them and stop them playing the free-flowing football they like to play. We saw how Chelsea disrupted them in the first half on Sunday.

“We want to make sure we don’t make life easy for them when they are in possession or they can run us ragged. If we can do that and frustrate the crowd then we have got a chance.”

West Ham have scored just five goals on their travels this season, so Allardyce is certainly looking for an improvement in that area.

“We are going to have to get a whole lot better at taking our chances if we are to get anything,” he said. “That has been a massive disappointment over the last few weeks.”