Explosive Sam Allardyce fallout followed West Brom, West Ham transfer saga | OneFootball

Sam Allardyce suffered furious rant after a last-minute transfer collapse from West Ham to West Brom

Sam Allardyce has delivered some explosive rants in his time but he was on the receiving end of one when former West Ham United cult hero Carlton Cole's West Bromwich Albion move failed.

Before Cole was remembered as a modern-day hero for the Hammers, the former forward faced a tumultuous time at the club, culminating in a screaming match with Allardyce after his last-minute West Brom switch crumbled.

However, even before this exchange ever occurred, the striker had previously felt the rocky road in East London, when his contract ran out in 2013.

The former Chelsea youngster had enjoyed a seven-season spell with West Ham, the highlight being a goal in their 2-1 play-off final win in 2012, but when the time came the following year for manager Allardyce to decide if Cole had done enough to extend his stay yet again, he allowed the striker to leave after struggled to find the goals in the top-flight - scoring only twice in 29 appearances.

Cole would return to the club to capture fans' favour again, but unrest wrestled below the surface

It took just five months for Cole to don the claret and blue once again, as the forward re-signed for the club on the 14th of October 2013 due to an Andy Carroll ankle injury.

This time he quickly found his form, scoring four goals in 11 matches three of which coming in a six-game spell that led the striker to secure another contract extension, keeping him at the club for another 18 months.

But the Cinderella story would not have its magical ending, as yet again, just a year later, the future was up in the air with six months remaining on Cole's contract, and Big Sam unsure what to do as the forward's form had faltered again.

On deadline day 2015, however, it looked as though a solution had been found.

New West Brom manager, Tony Pulis, sought to sign the Hammers marksman as his challenge to keep the Baggies in the top tier began.

Pulis inherited the squad in 16th position, dangerously close to the drop, and after record-breaking signing Brown Ideye had found the net only once during prior manager, Alan Irvine's tenure, a marksman of Cole's calibre was massively desired.

It was reported by The Mirror that Ideye was poised for a January exit to Qatari team Al Gharafa, with the Baggies preparing to accept only a £4 million recoupment of the initial £10 million invested in the Super Eagle and an outgoing that would open the door for Cole to come to The Hawthorns.

Cole made it to The Hawthorns door but was whisked back to London before donning the blue and white stripes

As the Hammers striker finally believed the contract drama was coming to a close, he had no clue the most theatrical of moments were still to come.

The then 31-year-old striker had reportedly agreed a two-and-a-half-year deal with West Brom and had undergone a medical at The Hawthorns earlier on deadline day.

Things were progressing well, West Ham had already lined up their replacement for Cole, that being a temporary spell for Spurs striker Emmanuel Adebayor.

All that was left to do was for both to sign on the dotted line, but the clock was counting down.

It was with just 20 minutes before the deadline closed when Cole sat in The Hawthorns canteen and got the call to say the deal had fallen through, with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy deciding in the dying hours to block the Hammers' move for Adebayor, according to The Mirror.

Allardyce now refused to let his backup leave with no reinforcements on the way, a calamity Cole did not take pleasingly.

Allegedly stunning the Albion staff, Cole launched a rant at the former Bolton boss, screaming "You're ******* wrecking my career" down the phone, an accusation Allardyce was alleged to have sympathised with, understanding the forward's desire for first-team football.

Cole again found favour but it was again short-lived as the West Ham hero repaired relationships

Cole blamed the coach for costing him a two-and-a-half-year deal at West Brom that would've seen the striker earn £5m, but oddly, he believes the fiery clash actually helped heal the pair's relationship, a fact he told The Mail just 12 days later.

He said: "I was upset at the time because I wasn't playing here as much as I wanted to. So when a team shows interest in you and offers you game time and it doesn't come off you might react this way.

"The manager has talked to me since that and we have moved on from there. It wasn't personal and these things happen in football."

Allardyce started Cole in the Irons clash v Southampton, the second fixture following the close of the transfer window, and with an injury to Carroll, it appeared he may have finally found favour again in the West Ham ranks.

But at the end of the season, the striker again failed to agree new terms with the club and was released for the second time in two years.

He would be picked up by Celtic just after the advent of the 2015/16 season, but never found the form that made him a hero at Upton Park.

As for West Brom, the alarming rate Cole ran through clubs after leaving West Ham raises questions about how smart the deal would have been. Indeed, there's an argument to be made that the Baggies might've dodged a bullet by escaping the £5m contract they were thought to have agreed.