Stewart Downing has spoken about the poor form suffered by West Ham in the second half of last season.
This was largely responsible for the exit of Sam Allardyce, which became apparent for several weeks. The manager was not sacked, but he rather let his contract expire and left the club on a mutual consent. Allardyce had been at the club for the last four years and was responsible for getting them back from the Championship into a position of stability in the top flight. He was also the manager who brought Downing to Upton Park and gave him a new lease of life.