West Ham boss Sam Allardyce has expressed his surprise at the poor levels of fitness among his inherited squad.
Hammers' new boss wants to increase fitness levels
West Ham's new manager Sam Allardyce has expressed his surprise at the poor levels of fitness among his inherited squad.
Allardyce is looking to guide the Hammers back into the top flight this season following relegation from the Premier League last term.
The 56-year-old brings a wealth of experience to Upton Park and the ex-Blackburn and Bolton man has been perplexed by sub-standard fitness levels.
West Ham have a number of internationals among their ranks and Allardyce knows their stars need to start bringing more to the table.
Shocking
"Fitness has always been a massive part of football but never more so than now," explained Allardyce.
"If you haven't got the capabilities of an athlete, you can't be a top footballer.
"I've looked at their stats and it doesn't reflect well physically. It wasn't great.
"I was shocked considering the size of the squad and the quality of the players, many of whom were internationals. They really should have been pulling out much more.
"You look at their ability to perform at a high intensity and their sprint distances which is the level of speed needed to create the opportunities to win football matches.
"Compared to the levels at Blackburn and Bolton, they weren't good."
