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Sam Allardyce verbally agreed to become West Brom’s next manager, Sky Sports News It has been reported, and his appointment is expected to be confirmed on Wednesday.
The final details of his contract are still being worked out, but there is a broad agreement on an 18-month contract, which includes a break clause at the end of this season if Albion is relegated.
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.
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FREE TO SEE: Highlights from Man City’s draw with West Brom 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.
West Brom fired Slaven Bilic on Wednesday less than 24 hours after the team achieved a 1-1 draw at Manchester City.
“Albion wishes to thank Slaven and his coaching staff for their efforts to achieve promotion last season and wishes them all the best in the future,” a brief statement from the club reads.
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Former West Brom forward Kevin Phillips believes club board ‘did not support’ coach Bilic
Bilic leaves West Brom after less than two years in charge. He initially enjoyed success at The Hawthorns, guiding the club to promotion in his first season as head coach.
However, the Baggies have struggled on their return to the top flight, winning just once in the Premier League, against last club Sheffield United.
West Brom is still the second bottom of the table, despite the draw against City, but it is only two points behind Burnley, who are in 17th place.
‘West Brom hierarchy did not support Bilic in summer’
Sky Sports expert and former West Brom forward Don Goodman:
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Don Goodman, former West Brom forward, says the club’s decision to fire Bilic is ‘really tough’
I don’t think the West Brom hierarchy was sufficiently supportive of Slaven Bilic this summer.
I understand that there are budgets but you look at the recruitment … Diangana, Pereira – players who were already in the club; Krovinovic is on loan again.
Gallagher is a quality player but he was in the Championship last season. The forward is the most important piece of the puzzle, but Karlan Grant has also been predominantly in the Championship. It has been a great request for Bilic.
Analysis: fractured relationship with Bilic joint costs
Sky Sports Gerard Brand:
For weeks he has been the favorite for the first Premier League dismissal of the season, but going after a spirited draw at Man City has surprised many.
No one denies that West Brom is in a relegation fight and probably will be for the rest of the season. Their best performances have come against Chelsea, Tottenham Manchester United and Manchester City, but it is the results against the teams around them that have ultimately cost Bilic.
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West Brom Supporters Association Secretary Alan Cleverley believes the club was wrong to fire Bilic
The board will point to defeats at Newcastle and Fulham, plus the capitulation to Crystal Palace, but a fractured relationship between the club’s hierarchy and Bilic has also contributed.
Bilic’s initial budget upon returning to the Premier League was around £ 25 million; in the end his spending came to £ 42 million with add-ons included, a figure that Bilic clearly felt was negligible. His team lacks experience in the Premier League.
In October, Bilic criticized the board for selling Ahmed Hegazi to Saudi Al-Ittihad for £ 4 million just 24 hours before his trip to Brighton, suggesting that the club had broken promises about the defender. “I’m really disappointed because we need players,” he said at the time.
Tuesday’s performance showed that the players haven’t lost tools at Bilic, but if the board and the manager aren’t working together, little else matters.
The rebound effect?
Adam Smith from Sky Sports:
Between 1992/93 and last season, 19 of the 74 clubs have fired or lost their coach in the first season after promotion to the Premier League, usually during the hectic holiday calendar or towards the end of business.
But did those changes achieve the desired rebound effect? Well, only six of those 19 clubs stayed in May. On average, there was a 0.18 point per game increase after bringing in a new boss, but the changes are significant.
Crystal Palace’s form skyrocketed after firing Ian Holloway in October 2013, and the Eagles stayed awake. But Cardiff suffered a notable downfall after firing Malky Mackay in December of the same year and was relegated.
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