Sam Allardyce described West Ham United’s 2-1 defeat away at Everton as “hugely disappointing” and it is difficult to argue with his analysis of the game.

There is no doubt in my mind that West Ham should have taken at least a point from Goodison Park and to come away with nothing is extremely gutting.

Whilst we have seen West Ham play much better this season, it was still a display worthy of a draw, this despite having five key players out with injury. Like many, I found the notion of having five first-team players all injured at the same time a little odd to say the least.

Last season Allardyce would not have started with two up front, and with Diafra Sakho and Enner Valencia both injured, I had expected he would revert to type and play a safer formation, so credit to the manager for starting with both Andy Carroll and Carlton Cole in the forward positions.

You could make a case for starting eventual goal-scorer Mauro Zarate in place of Cole and after the Argentinean’s second-half display you would have been proved right. But the intent from Allardyce is clearly greater than last season and for that I do think praise is due.

Without the threat of Valencia and Sakho, the creativeness of Stewart Downing and the midfield strength of Alex Song and Cheikhou Kouyate, it was always going to be harder task to beat a talented Everton side but the way the second goal was conceded (a counter-attack from a West Ham corner) was frustrating to say the least.

There will be those who will ask if this was the moment West Ham’s season began to unravel but I remain optimistic that the Hammers will get back on track against Newcastle United despite the Magpies’ phenomenal recent form which has seen Alan Pardew’s men win six consecutive Premier League games.

As we go into the game against Newcastle, it throws up memories of previous visit from the Geordies to Upton Park.

The game which sticks in the memory for many is the 8-1 destruction of the Tynesiders in April 1986 which saw centre-half Alvin Martin score a hat-trick against three different goalkeepers.

Recently results against Newcastle at home have been poor and there are not too many great games or good results to talk about. You have to go back to 2008 for West Ham’s last win over Newcastle in Gianfranco Zola’s first game in charge as David Di Michele scored on his full debut to help the Hammers to a 3-1 win.

Carroll will be going up against his former club (if he starts?) after he played his first full 90 minutes of the season away at Goodison Park.

It was a tough game for Carroll, who did well in the air, as expected, but does not appear to fit in with the style of play that has served West Ham well so far this season.

The old cliché of “good on the floor for a big man” will no doubt be rolled out time and time again when people defend Carroll, but despite the claims of him being a “better footballer than people give him credit for”, I am still waiting for these statements (or are they myths?) to be proven.

If Valencia and Sakho were fit on Saturday would Carroll retain his place in the side? Six months ago I would have said yes, but Allardyce is becoming a lot more decisive with his decision-making and perhaps I should start having a little more faith in him.

Perhaps.