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Sam Allardyce may be considered one of the great pragmatists of the Premier League era, but he has underlined the romantic side of his return to the top flight as West Brom manager. Having been in exile from the dugout since his firing from Everton two and a half years ago, the 66-year-old said he was more motivated than ever to succeed at the Hawthorns, where he began his epic coaching career 31 years ago.
“I am hungrier and more determined than ever because I have rested more than I ever wanted to rest,” Allardyce said after becoming the first man to manage eight Premier League clubs. “This break was so long and I had so much pent-up energy and this is where I can spend that. I am ready for battle. “
Allardyce said it didn’t take him long – “about five hours” – to accept West Brom’s request for help after the club fired Slaven Bilic on Wednesday. Luke Dowling, the football director, addressed suggestions that Bilic’s departure had been mishandled and said they acted quickly to remove Allardyce for fear that other troubled clubs would lure him in first.
“We have been aware of the reaction [to Bilic’s dismissal] but as a business we cannot act on the basis of emotions, “he said. “We have to make a decision and be firm with it. As a club we act in the most professional way possible. Every year is important to stay in the Premier League but this year even more [because of the pandemic]. You can keep skipping the games and you can be careful that the man you want may not be available yet. [Allardyce] He was the man we wanted. “
Some Albion fans have complained about the appointment claiming that the Dudley native was a Wolves fan in his childhood. But the manager described his long association with Albion.
“My brother used to take me to the Wolves as a kid, but he also used to come here because two of my best friends at school, the Minton twins, had an older brother, Roger, who actually played a few times for [West Brom] back in the 1960s. They used to get free tickets and say, ‘Do you want to come?’ And I would say, ‘Sure, I’ll go see Jeff Astle and Tony Brown.’ So I fluctuated between Wolves and West Brom.
“And my first coaching job was here as deputy manager for Brian Talbot. I was fired, and rightly so because we lost to Woking [in the 1991 FA Cup] – and that was a devastating blow to me. He did not know if he would work in football again.
“This is how I started the journey of all trips, as I had to go to the Limerick side before going through all the leagues in this country to get to where I am now.”
Allardyce said Dowling and Albion CEO Xu Ke told him that he would receive limited funding to strengthen the team in January and believes he should know by the middle of the month which positions to prioritize.
“There is some money, some opportunities, but obviously I understand the financial problems that most clubs face with massive revenue losses due to Covid, lack of fans, loss of publicity, corporate sponsorship and so on. But we will try to improve the team if we can find a player.
“Sammy and I [Lee] They are very good at evaluating squads. We will have to do our assessment no later than the second week of January and then we will try to find who is actually available … I can’t guarantee we’ll get them, but I’m pretty sure based on my past experience. “
Allardyce met with the players for the first time on Thursday and said his first hope was that they would be inspired to improve simply because the club saw fit to sign him.
“Hopefully the arrival of a new manager spurs them on to produce better performances,” he said. “So we can get to the heart of the matter on how to do that consistently.
“There are small changes that will make a difference. Little incidents in games can make the difference between the Championship and the Premier League, where you will be punished for things that you could get away with in the Championship. “
Allardyce used to get mad at his portrayals as a survival specialist, but now he accepts it. “I’ve already received text messages from even some colleagues who call me Red Adair, so I can’t escape,” he said. “It’s what everyone thinks I can do, so I thought, ‘Let’s try it.’ Let’s see if I can do it again. “
