Sam Allardyce and former clubs subsequent woes

[Gavia]

I’m not a big fan of Sam Allardyce, but his style of management always seems to get a team playing and results coming. It seems that the fans are often on his back complaining about the style of play though. One thing that can’t be argued though is that he gets results and whichever team he’s managing is always worse off when he leaves.

The last three clubs:

Palace - already sacked a manager and needed 7 games to score a goal / win a match this season
Sunderland - he kept them up, as soon as he left they were relegated
West Ham - had one good season after he left and have gradually got worse to a point where they look like they’ll sack Bilic to avoid the risk of relegation.

Historically he’s also had great results at Blackburn, Newcastle and especially Bolton, all of whom had a torrid time, or still are, since he left.

Is he underrated, or just an old school manager who can grind out results, but unable to build a team that can achieve long term success?

I’m ignoring the England fiasco, as that’s not club football.

Will he be back this season, despite his claimed retirement?

[egomeister]

His time at Bolton was far from a short term thing, he took them up and then into Europe.

Not sure where you got the old school idea from. Whilst his playing style lacks flair he was known for his adoption of technology and statistics during his successes at Bolton.

[Gavia]

I’m genuinely asking a question, as it’s interesting to get views, I’m certainly not labelling him as one thing or another.

[Axionknight]

Gavia said:

Sunderland - he kept them up, as soon as he left they were relegated

Not his fault - we have been a disgrace for years, lumbering from one last minute dash to safety to the next, needing a miracle year on year to stay up, truth be told it would have been better had we been relegated four or five seasons ago and looked to rebuild from there whilst the owner was still interested in investing

Our problems are myriad but BSA being the manager for nine months is well down the lists of reasons as to why we are now in deep, deep sh*t

We played OK football under him, but it took quite some time for the squad to galvanise, we lost five on the bounce in December 2015 which was pretty bleak but we got there in the end - no hoofball either, we were playing a loan striker, Defoe, who is tiny, no long balls over the top to the big target man because we didn't have one

Edited by Axionknight on Saturday 21st October 11:19

[V8covin]

He's a decent manager and I'd have him here in na instant instead of our current useless so and so......Hughes !

[hepy]

V8covin said:

He's a decent manager and I'd have him here in na instant instead of our current useless so and so......Hughes !

Is that Mark Hughes? Best manager Blackburn had in years. Took us from relegation fodder to Europe and signed some amazing players.

Would have him or Bug Sam back tomorrow.

[TwigtheWonderkid]

I think Big Sam's tactics are a reflection of the players he's had to work with. When he's had some decent players, he's let them play creative football. I'm sure if he got the Man City job tomorrow, he wouldn't play the same kind of stuff he played at Sunderland and West Ham.

[RammyMP]

He did a great job at Notts County, which seems to be forgotten but how he left was a disgrace, I lost all respect for him because of it. He pushed his resignation letter under the chairmans door then went awol, 3 days later he's managing Bolton.

Good manager, just no integrity.

[Speed 3]

He is underrated and somewhat maligned unfairly, partly I think because as a human being he is a bit of a wker (and yes I have met him a few times).

He gave us times at Bolton we could only dream about - Bayern, Atletico, Marseilles etc. That particular series of teams had some real class players - Djorkaeff, Hierro, Okocha etc., he just had a pragmatic way of playing, especially against the biggest teams. It was a bit like golf or snooker, the best players play the percentages.

He was genuinely ahead of his time with ProZone, nutrition etc - all stuff he picked up playing the US NASL in the late 70's. Now though ? I think he's a bit like Wenger, a man no longer innovating. No doubt he's a very safe pair of hands a la Pulis but I don't think he would be a success at City, Utd or Arsenal. What is the biggest shame (back to his character flaws) is how we never got to see what he could do with England, at a time when he was precisely what they needed.

He did play a big part in the later troubles of our club by "chasing the dream", a fact he won't acknowledge and in his own book he points the finger at others. Its still a raging debate amongst Whites fans, greatest ever manager (?) and/or the one who sowed the seeds of our near-destruction.

Edited by Speed 3 on Sunday 22 October 09:41

[Le Vette]

Did a great job at Palace and I wish he was still there as the summer transfer window could've been excellent, instead it was poor. I'm glad we've now got Roy Hodgson and beginning to find our feet again, but the whole de Boer fiasco should have been avoided.

Big fan of big Sam.

[Speed 3]

Gavia said:

Will he be back this season, despite his claimed retirement?

Think that questions now answered....

Suspect this might go a bit like Newcastle, right man at the club for the circumstances then owners get all star struck when he's sorted out the mess and bin him after 12 months.

[Black can man]

Speed 3 said:

Think that questions now answered....

Suspect this might go a bit like Newcastle, right man at the club for the circumstances then owners get all star struck when he's sorted out the mess and bin him after 12 months.

& he leaves with a great big fat cheque in his sky, He's not stupid & good luck to him.

[Speed 3]

Black can man said:

& he leaves with a great big fat cheque in his sky, He's not stupid & good luck to him.

....there is a reason his overseas property portfolio is named after former clubs

Edited by Speed 3 on Wednesday 29th November 19:15

[cuprabob]

As good at making money as Sam is, he's not in the same league as Sven Goran Eriksson