Sam Allardyce has claimed that his West Ham United players have not been given enough credit for their form in 2014.

A change of fortunes has seen the Hammers move away from the relegation zone, but Allardyce believes that misconceptions about his side's style of play have robbed the squad of the praise they deserve.

"I think that it's all about the perception and the reputation of Sam Allardyce, not the West Ham players and how they play," the Hammers boss told reporters. "It's all perceived to be like this and nothing else.

"It is a load of rubbish and I can't help that. It's unfortunate for the players because this particular period of time, when they've achieved six wins out of nine matches, they get little or no praise for it and that's really sad.

"We've had our best run of results, but nobody's talking about it."

West Ham host leaders Liverpool at Upton Park on Sunday.