Premier League: Roberto Martinez says West Ham boss Sam Allardyce 'guarantees results'

Everton manager Roberto Martinez says West Ham counterpart Sam Allardyce may have had his critics but fans have to accept he 'guarantees results'.

Martinez is backing Allardyce to have a successful season with the Hammers ahead of Saturday’s clash at Goodison Park.

The former Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn boss has long been associated with a more direct brand of football which brought criticism from his own fans last season, when they finished 14th.

However, that appears to have been forgotten as wins against defending champions Manchester City and runners-up Liverpool have helped the side into the Champions League places.

"Sam is a very experienced manager who has been in this league for a long time," said Martinez. "He has been building clubs, coping with big expectations, but he always guarantees results.

In football you make your own choices and decisions. There are many styles you can play and it is up to fans to like or dislike that.

Threaten

"What he has done with West Ham this season is find a good balance of a side who can be difficult to play against but still really threaten in dead-ball situations but now they have brought in flair and players who can score goals out of nothing from open play and that is a really strong combination.

"In football you make your own choices and decisions and there are many styles you can play and it is up to fans to like or dislike that.

"Winning is important, for certain people in the game the only thing that matters is the result, for others who are a bit more romantic they appreciate more the way you win or the way you want to play than just the short-term result.

"I think it can be a really successful year for West Ham."

Former academy graduate Leon Osman is set to make his 400th appearance for the club this weekend, joining just a dozen players, including Neville Southall, Brian Labone and Dave Watson, who have reached the landmark.

"It is so difficult to find such a loyal footballer who can also cope with the demands of the modern game," added Martinez.

"You need to swim against the current because there are so many forces taking you away from spending 10 years at one football club.

"I think Leon Osman and Tony Hibbert are two big pillars for us in the way they have come through the academy, devoted their careers to the club and they are true Evertonians."