Sam Allardyce and Kevin Nolan make West Ham prediction that fans will love | OneFootball

The former Hammers duo have predicted a positive outcome for the club this season

Former West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce and his one-time Hammers captain, Kevin Nolan, have issued a prediction that this season will still end positively for Nuno Espírito Santo's side.

The Hammers are now in the midst of their first Championship season in 14 years after being relegated with 39 points in last term's Premier League, which was the highest points total accrued by a side to suffer such misfortune since 2011.

However, it hasn't been the ideal return to the EFL for the Portuguese and his squad, having gone winless in their first two matches against Burnley and Charlton Athletic.

Nuno's side found themselves two goals in front on the opening day at Turf Moor before a late capitulation led to a Zian Flemming brace, whilst a sell-out crowd of 62,500 were left stunned by a below-par performance against Nathan Jones' Addicks.

Lloyd Jones' overhead kick and Tyreece Campbell's neat strike saw West Ham two goals down, and despite Joel Piroe marking his competitive debut with a goal, the encounter was summed up by Taty Castellanos' shocking penalty miss in the third minute of second half stoppage-time.

Yet, whilst it hasn't been the start many people envisaged from the pre-season title favourites, Allardyce and Nolan are clearly willing to keep the faith when it comes to assessing the fortunes of their former club.

Sam Allardyce and Kevin Nolan outline West Ham promotion prediction

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Allardyce, 71, was, of course, the last man to lead the Hammers into a Championship campaign after taking charge in the summer of 2011 at their former home, Upton Park.

The experienced boss was able to retain the services of several high-profile names and add to that particular squad with vast experience, which included Nolan, who signed from Newcastle United, where he also won promotion in his first season in 2009/10 under Chris Hughton.

It has been an intriguing summer of activity for the Irons this time around though, as only five additions have been made, but this does include a record-breaking Championship fee for Arne Engels from Celtic.

Assessing West Ham's promotion chances on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast, Allardyce said: "Straight back up. They'll win the league.

"If they don't win the league, they'll finish second," he added.

Nolan, who made 157 appearances for the club, then said: "They should do. We expect them to."

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Unsurprisingly, Allardyce and Nolan are not the only former West Ham associates to issue their stances on developments at the London Stadium, but their verdicts could soon change if Nuno's side don't turn their fortunes around in the near future.

The 52-year-old does boast experience of winning the Championship with Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2017/18, where a star-studded side was capable of dealing with the immense pressure on their shoulders right from the start of the campaign, but that hasn't happened this time around.

However, there is still a chance for the club to make a statement in some of their upcoming fixtures ahead of the season's first international break, where they face off against the likes of Wolves, Derby CountyWrexham and Millwall.

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Whilst the start to the season, results-wise, has been far from ideal for West Ham, it could get worse in the final days of the summer transfer window.

It had been expected much earlier in the summer that Jarrod Bowen would join the duo of Mateus Fernandes and Crysencio Summerville as high-profile departees, which could also have allowed the club ample time to source a replacement as close to the calibre of Bowen's ability.

However, it has now been claimed that Crystal Palace are eyeing a move potentially worth £50m, with the transfer deadline coming at 11PM on Tuesday, September 1st.

It does remain to be seen if said bid and potential contract offers are accepted by the relevant parties, but an exit for the 29-year-old would only further sour the mood in E20 after he pledged his immediate future to West Ham's promotion push just last month.