WEST Ham United's new Head Physio, Steve Allen, may have
joined the Club from Cardiff, but he has the Hammers in his blood.
Born in Forest Gate hospital, just down the road from the Boleyn
Ground, Steve attended Upton Park as a youngster before pursuing
his own playing dreams and subsequently a successful career as a
physiotherapy, which has take in FA Cup triumph and a Play-off
Final success against the Hammers.
Steve has now come full-circle, joining Alan Pardew's
restructured backroom team to head up the Physiotherapy department.
"It's an exciting opportunity to come to a Club with the
potential and fan base of West Ham United," he explained.
"I was born in Forest Gate and my Mum and Dad were both West
Ham fans. My Dad would often take me to Upton Park when I was
younger, in the days when Bryan 'Pop' Robson played up
front. "When I was 16 I went to join Colchester United as a
player, but I picked up a knee injury that kept me out for a year
and that's when I got interested in physiotherapy and I started
to train one day a week.
"I took the FA treatment courses and trained as a physio at
the same time as I did my coaching qualifications."
But it was physiotherapy that interested Steve the most, and his
first assignment was certainly not for the faint hearted. "In
1987 I joined Wimbledon," he explained. "They won the FA
Cup in my first year, beating Liverpool at Wembley in one of the
biggest upsets in the competition.
"In all I spent 14 very interesting years at Wimbleon. Those
were the real Crazy Gang days with the likes of John Fashanu,
Vinnie Jones and Dennis Wise!
"During my time at Wimbledon I studied part-time to earn my
UEFA A Coaching Licence, and then I went on to complete degrees in
Sports Science and Physiotherapy to become a Chartered
Physiotherapist."
With Wimbledon's well-documented off-field problems coming to a
head in 2003, Steve left the Club to join Crystal Palace. Yet
again, the newly arrived Physio had an immediate impact on the
team's fortunes, much to West Ham's disappointment.
"I joined Crystal Palace in 2003, just before Iain Dowie
arrived at the club as manager," he said. "The team had a
fantastic end to the season, and of course won promotion to the
Premiership by beating the Hammers in the Play-off Final.
"It was terrific for the club, and it does seem that every
time I arrived at a club they do well in the first year. Hopefully,
the run keeps going at West Ham!"
But despite his success at Palace, Steve could not refuse when his
old boss Sam Haman came calling from Cardiff.
"The reason I left Palace was to join up with Sam, who had
been my Chairman at Wimbledon," he said. "I had a good
season there, but when the opportunity to join West Ham United came
up it was difficult to turn down.
"Sam told me about the interest, but wasn't too keen on me
leaving. My family live in Epsom though and were still up here
while I was in Cardiff, so that made the decision easier because it
would save the long commute to Cardiff each week, where I had a
flat.
"I have a wife, Alison, and two boys, Oliver and Thomas, so
that was a big factor. But it's a fantastic opportunity to come
to a great club. "The manager is very forward thinking. He did
fantastically well to get the Club promoted last season, and when I
heard how he wanted to create a department incorporating the
physiotherapy and sports science areas I thought it was a really
exciting opportunity.
"My predecessor John Green was an excellent physio and I have
tremendous respect for his work. "Really my first aim here
will be to revamp the facilities to improve the treatment area.
"Then it will be to build more of a physio department, so
instead of just me as Head Physio, there will be a strong team in
place, incorporating Paul Hunter, Andy Walker and our masseur Vass
Petrou.
"I first worked with Paul at Wimbledon, and he's come with
me to Palace, Cardiff and now West Ham. "Our aim is to
open up the department and make it a place for the safe treatment
of players at all levels in the Club."
Steve has plenty of Premier League experience to his name from his
time with the Dons, and he is backing Alan Pardew's men to make
quite an impact on the top-flight this season.
"I look at the quality already in the squad and the players
that have been added and I don't see why we can't finish in
the top 10," he exclaimed. "That's my target and I
think it's achievable. Obviously, it's vitally important
that the Club stays in the Premiership this season, but with the
incredible fan base behind West Ham United I think it is ready to
kick on in the Premier League."
Allen's Approach
13th July 2005