West Ham United's co-owners have released a statement indicating that Sam Allardyce's job as manager is safe, while promising to get the club out of relegation trouble.
The Hammers boss is under pressure following a disappointing festive period which has seen them slip to 19th in the Premier League table and dumped out of the FA Cup courtesy of a 5-0 thrashing by Championship outfit Nottingham Forest.
Allardyce fielded a young and much-changed side, which included four full debutants, at the City Ground, but co-chairmen David Sullivan and David Gold have justified this as a decision for the greater good, and insisted that the three of them are working together to try to improve the club's fortunes.
"Like all West Ham United supporters we feel frustrated and hurt by our recent results," read the open letter to the fans. "We understand how you feel and we, the board, feel the same.
"It is never enjoyable being knocked out of a cup competition and losing by such a large scoreline to a lower division side is hard to take for us all. We thought the youngsters gave their all and did not stop trying but in the end Nottingham Forest's experience proved too much for us.
"Sam has been handed a near impossible task of coming through three crucial games in the space of six days with a squad of only 14 fit and available senior players. This is not an excuse it is a fact. We know Sam has not lost his ambition or desire and is committed to making West Ham United a great Premier League club."
Gold and Sullivan also insisted that the Hammers must now look forward and try to book their place in the final of the League Cup by getting the better of Manchester City over two legs in their semi-final tie.
"We now face a Capital One Cup semi-final on Wednesday followed by a vital Barclays Premier League trip to Cardiff on Saturday," the statement continued. "Despite an extremely difficult draw, we are determined to do all we can to get to the Capital One Cup final over two legs with Manchester City.
"We hope to have several of our missing players back in time for Cardiff and we go there knowing that a win can get us out of the bottom three. Such is the nature of the Premier League this season; there are only six points between us and the team in 13th place."
The West Ham co-owners assured the fans that everyone at the club is doing their best to get the team out of the relegation zone.
"Make no mistake, though; we are under no illusions as to the seriousness of our current predicament in the Premier League," added the letter.
"But on the board we have a combined talent of running football clubs and we will draw on all of our nous to get West Ham United out of this situation.
"We have experienced difficult times before and we know what will get us results - hard work, determination and perseverance. To that end, we are all working round the clock to do everything in our powers to help arrest our slump in form."
The statement also revealed an intention to bolster the West Ham squad in the "most needed areas", with Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Roger Johnson already confirmed to have reinforced Allardyce's depleted defence on a loan deal.
