West Ham manager Sam Allardyce under increased pressure after slipping to edge of relegation zone Sullivan will fund a move for a new striker in the January transfer window and is already chasing targets, but Allardyce must prove he remains the best man to take the team forwards before then. Despite the gratitude for promotion to the Premier League and last season's impressive 10th-place finish, there is an acceptance within West Ham that the club cannot afford to stand unconditionally by Allardyce in the same way they backed Grant in 2010-11. Senior figures at West Ham wanted to replace Grant with Martin O'Neill, but Sullivan and Gold opted to give the former Chelsea manager until the end of the season. That decision resulted in relegation and it is now accepted that Sullivan and Gold should have acted sooner. West Ham insiders insist that error will not be repeated if results do not quickly improve under Allardyce. Failure to beat Sunderland would leave the club in serious danger of entering the new year in the bottom three. Fulham moved level on points with the fourth-from-bottom West Ham on Sunday with a victory against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have won two successive games under their new manager Tony Pulis. West Ham have won one Premier League game since beating Tottenham 3-0 at the start of October, when Allardyce nicknamed himself Sam Allardici. Nolan's red card at Liverpool means he will miss the league games against Sunderland and Manchester United, while Stewart Downing has joined the injury list after being fouled by Jon Flanagan on Saturday. The biggest problem for Sullivan and Gold would be finding a quick replacement for Allardyce. Sullivan is understood to be close to Glenn Hoddle, who has been out of management since 2006. Roberto Di Matteo is still out of work and proved he could make an immediate impact at Chelsea. Former player, Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay, would be a popular appointment, but it is understood West Ham would have to pay £3 million in compensation for the Scotsman.