Sam Allardyce not on revenge mission against Newcastle

Saturday 23 May 2015 14:32, UK

Sam Allardyce says he will not be on a revenge mission when his West Ham team face his old club Newcastle at St James' Park on Sunday.

Allardyce's reign on Tyneside ended in disappointment in 2008 when he parted company with the club after just eight months at the helm, a decision that he described as a "shock".

West Ham face Newcastle on Sunday knowing that if they win or draw, and Hull beat Manchester United, the Magpies will drop into the Sky Bet Championship.

But, Hammers manager Allardyce claims he is not motivated by revenge and is only interested in his own team's fortunes.

"It's not about what happens to Newcastle for me. Some have suggested that I'm all up for us winning to send them down, but it's far too far down the road for any of that stuff," he said.

"It's been a long time since we parted company and looking back to the past is never what I've been about because you can't affect what happens in the past. You learn from it and move on to the future.

"Since Newcastle I've had a fantastic time at Blackburn and then here, at West Ham. It's nearly seven years since I left Newcastle.

"I'm up for winning on Sunday for West Ham because that's where I work and we want to finish with the 50 points we targeted at the start of the season. Hopefully we can achieve that goal."

Sunday could be Allardyce's final match as Hammers boss with his contract set to expire this summer, and he admits it has been a frustrating end to the season.

"We're all disappointed that we haven't achieved more than we have done," said Allardyce.

"We could have had a great season and matched, with a bit more luck, the best season West Ham have had.

"That was fifth, which would be very difficult in the current climate, but we did have the chance after Christmas. We haven't achieved the results our performances deserve."

Watch Newcastle v West Ham as part of Survival Sunday on Sky Sports 1 from 2pm on Sunday, May 24.