Defiant West Ham United boss Sam Allardyce has stated he will not alter the Hammers’ attacking brand of football as they seek to arrest their alarming slump in form.

The Hammers have won just two of their last 14 Premier League fixtures and, as a result, are now facing a battle to finish in the top half of the table, with tenth-placed Stoke City only behind on goal difference.

Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at relegation-threatened Leicester City was another low point in a season which is threatening to collapse as the finish draws nearer but Allardyce is adamant he will not sacrifice the improved style of football in order to turn West Ham’s fortune’s around.

After a disappointing 13th-place finish last season, Allardyce clung onto his job in the summer on the proviso he would deliver more attacking, free-flowing and exciting football than previously.

However, when asked if he would deviate from those principles, he told the club website: “No I’m not going to change the way we play.

“The big shout at the beginning of the season was that we were going to attack more and for that reason we’ve lacked a few more clean sheets than we wanted. That would have got us a few more three-point victories than draws and got us higher up the table.”

He continued: “We’ve scored more goals than we’ve ever scored and we now must push on over the next seven games to get more than 46 points, which is our best total from year one, and if we can do that by continuing playing like we’re playing then we’ll go on and do it.

“We played like that and won earlier in the season, which was why we got to third or fourth so I’m not going to stop the players playing like that. I’m going to tell them to be a bit more careful when we haven’t got possession as if we continue to give goals away it means we’re going to have to score two, three or four goals to win games.”

And despite seeing his side fall away from Europa League spots, Allardyce refutes the claim his side are drifting towards the finish with the prospect of relegation only a very slight possibility.

He scorned: “We didn’t play like a team that was drifting on Saturday. We played like a team with a lot of creativity and drive. Where we failed is that we’re less clinical than we used to be.

“I think the lads in their first season in the Premier League have found out what physical and mental attributes are needed for a long season so their edge is not quite as good as it was, but they‘ll gain it for next season.

“We’ve still got to push on for the next seven games to get as many points as we can. Our performance on Saturday suggests we’ll get those points and for us it was a good performance but a disappointing end.

“We’ve done our job against teams below us as that was only the third defeat against teams below us in the table; all the others we’ve beaten. We’ve only lost to Palace and Everton.”

Experienced Argentine international Esteban Cambiasso fired the Foxes into the lead with a thumping half-volley after 12 minutes before Cheikhou Kouyate drove past Kasper Schmeichel to level.

But with just four minutes remaining, Leicester midfielder Andy King turned home from close range to seal an invaluable three points and end a personal goal drought which has lasted more than a year.

Assessing the defeat in the east Midlands side, Allardyce said: “To lose the game right at the end when it looks like we’d at least get a point is extremely disappointing. Either team could have won it. They did, we didn’t and we’re disappointed.

“We couldn’t do much more in terms of opening a team up and playing better than we did. It made us a little shorter on the defending side but you take that risk when you play away from home and you try to open the opposition up.”

Next up for the Hammers is a visit from Stoke on Saturday, the side directly below the Hammers in the top-flight table.