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West Brom has appointed Sam Allardyce as its new head coach.
The former England manager has signed an 18-month contract, which includes a severance clause at the end of the season if Albion is relegated.
Sunday December 27 4:15 pm
Start 4:30 pm
Allardyce, in his first managerial position since being fired by Everton in 2018, replaces Slaven Bilic after he was fired on Wednesday following West Brom’s 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Tuesday night.
West Brom sporting and technical director Luke Dowling said: “At Sam we have a man who has a proven pedigree in the Premier League with a track record of improving every club he has managed.
“We believe, and more importantly, Sam believes that we have a group of players who have the quality to give the club the best chance of surviving in the Premier League.”
The Baggies have struggled on their return to the Premier League this season, winning just once, against bottom line Sheffield United. They are still the second bottom of the table, but they are only two points behind 17th place Burnley.
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FREE TO SEE: Highlights from Man City’s draw with West Brom in the Premier League.
Allardyce sees the job as an ideal opportunity to return to football after more than two and a half years away, and is confident that he will be able to keep Albion in the Premier League.
The former England coach is still at home in the North West but will need to undergo a coronavirus test before he can travel to the Midlands and enter West Brom’s safe eco-bubble.
‘Etihad irony, but Allardyce is a great character’
Rob Dorsett of Sky Sports News:
The irony is that Slaven Bilic will probably be very convinced that West Brom had his best performance and result of the season against Man City.
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Robbie Earnshaw says Allardyce has all the credentials to build in January and help guide West Brom to Premier League survival.
It will be sad news for many West Brom fans. Bilic was a popular figure. He had his heart on his sleeve and you’ll feel like you didn’t get the resources in the summer transfer window to get stronger.
Slaven Bilic was frustrated that he couldn’t achieve his main goals, but West Brom’s bosses thought they were going above and beyond to support him in the marketplace and gave him more money than they had originally planned. There was definitely a difference of opinion there.
But the results speak for themselves: just one win this season, second to the bottom of the Premier League. West Brom bosses clearly felt that the only way to mount a realistic survival challenge was to change managers.
What will Allardyce’s appointment with the fans be like? He has a wealth of experience and a brilliant record of keeping teams in the Premier League. It’s that easy.
They may have some concerns about the style of play. Allardyce has never apologized for that, he focuses on winning football. But there are a lot of creative players on this side and one of the problems West Brom has had is not scoring enough goals. That is a problem that needs to be addressed.
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Former West Brom forward Kevin Phillips believes that the club’s board did not give Bilic the support he needed in the transfer window.
The congested roster means it may not be easy to change tactics too quickly, but the team that went to Etihad showed great strength of character and that will give the team, and the new coach, great confidence. Allardyce has been out of the game for a while, but he’s a great character and a very talented manager, and he’ll make West Brom that much harder to beat.
I don’t think Allardyce will take this job unless he thinks he can keep West Brom in the Premier League. He sees himself as a Premier League coach. If you thought they were sure to fall into the Championship, I don’t think you would be interested. But you’ll want to know that they have the resources in January.
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