West Ham United F.C. Under-23s, formerly West Ham United F.C. Under-21s is the most senior of West Ham United's youth teams.
 The Under-23 team is effectively West Ham United's second-string side, but is limited to three outfield players and one goalkeeper over the age of 23 per game following the introduction of new regulations from the 2012–13 season.
 They play in Premier League 2 and also compete in the Checkatrade Trophy.
The West Ham United Academy is recognised as one of the most successful academies in modern football, hence its nickname the Academy of Football.
 The introduction of the FA's new Academy system in 1998 has placed even more emphasis on the developing of young homegrown players and today the youth system at West Ham is more important than it has ever been.
 With the influx of many foreign players in the Premier League during modern times, West Ham United has been regarded as one of the few remaining clubs in top flight to continue producing and playing homegrown English players.
The World Cup Sculpture, or simply The Champions, is a bronze statue of the 1966 World Cup Final located near West Ham United Football Club's Boleyn Ground (Upton Park) stadium in the London Borough of Newham, England.
 It depicts a famous victory scene photographed after the final, held at the old Wembley Stadium in London, featuring Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, Martin Peters and Ray Wilson.
 It was the first and only time England had won the World Cup, and England captain Moore is pictured held shoulder high, holding the Jules Rimet Trophy aloft.
 Jointly commissioned by Newham Council and West Ham United, it stands at the junction of Barking Road and Green Street, near the Boleyn Ground.
 It commemorates West Ham's contribution to the victory, with Moore, Hurst and Peters having all been West Ham players at the time of the 1966 World Cup.
 Sculpted by the Royal Sculptor Philip Jackson, it was unveiled in 2003 by Prince Andrew, president of the Football Association.
 Jackson went on to also sculpt the statue of Bobby Moore unveiled at the new Wembley when it opened in 2007.
Samuel Allardyce ( ; born 19 October 1954), known as "Big Sam", is an English football manager and former professional player, who most recently managed Crystal Palace from December 2016 to May 2017.
Mark James Noble (born 8 May 1987) is an English footballer who plays as a central midfielder and is captain of West Ham United.
 He has played almost all his youth and first team football for West Ham apart from two short loan spells, at Hull City and Ipswich Town.
 He has played for England at U16, U17, U18, U19 and U21 levels.
 He captained the U21 side, scoring three goals in 20 appearances.
 Noble is the longest serving player in West Ham's current squad, having been in the first team since 2004.
 He is West Ham's first-choice taker for penalty kicks and has won the club's Hammer of the Year trophy twice.
London football team, West Ham United have had only fifteen permanent managers in their history and an additional three caretaker managers.
 Up until 1989 the club had only had five different managers.
 Before the appointment of Gianfranco Zola in 2008 the club never had an overseas manager, with the only non-Englishman being the Scot, Lou Macari.
 The current manager is Slaven Bilić who was appointed in June 2015.
 The most recent manager before that was Sam Allardyce who was appointed in May 2011 and left the club in May 2015.
 Numerous former West Ham players have taken on temporary managerial roles at the club, between permanent managers.
 Ronnie Boyce briefly took the reins, in February 1990, between Macari's resignation and the appointment of Billy Bonds.
 Former Hammer's player and board member Trevor Brooking was briefly in charge during two separate spells as caretaker manager in 2003, first during the illness of Glenn Roeder and again between Roeder's sacking and the appointment of Alan Pardew.
 Former player Kevin Keen has been caretaker manager twice; immediately prior to Gianfranco Zola's appointment in 2008 and after the sacking of Avram Grant in 2011.
Gary Strodder (born 1 April 1965 in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire) was a centre half who played for West Ham United for four seasons, making 71 starts in total with a further eight appearances as substitute.
 His two goals were both scored against South Coast opposition, Portsmouth and Bournemouth.
 He joined in March 1987 from Lincoln City.
 Gary is probably best remembered by West Ham fans for being a member of the team hammered 6-0 in the League Cup Semi Final first leg at Oldham Athletic.
 This proved to be his penultimate game in the famous Claret and Blue shirt.
 In addition to West Ham, Gary also played for Notts County, Rotherham United, West Bromwich Albion, Hartlepool United and Lincoln City.
 His greatest moment probably came in helping West Brom to promotion via the playoff final at Wembley Stadium in a team managed by Argentinian and Tottenham Hotspur legend Ossie Ardiles (1993).
 In May 1985 he was to witness a nightmare when 56 spectators were killed in a horrendous stand fire while playing for Lincoln against Bradford City.
Slaven Bilić (; born 11 September 1968) is a retired Croatian professional footballer and current manager of Premier League club West Ham United.
Daniel 'Danny' Williamson (born 5 December 1973 in West Ham, London) is an English retired professional footballer who was a product of the West Ham United academy and played for West Ham United and Everton in the 1990s.
 He played in midfield.
Frederick David "Freddie" Sears (born 27 November 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for Ipswich Town.
 He started his career with his local club West Ham United at the age of eleven, progressing through the West Ham United Academy.
 He made a scoring first-team debut in March 2008 when he netted the winner against Blackburn Rovers after coming on as a second-half substitute.
 Sears made over 50 first-team appearances for West Ham, but never held down a regular starting position.

Question: What is the nickname of the man who managed West Ham United immediately before Slaven Bilić ?
Answer: "Big Sam"