So it's Big Sam. Let's be honest, we're desperate. Relegated, debts of £80 million and an Olympic Stadium to fill. I'd take a season of ugly football to go back up - and remember Pardew's line-up that finished sixth struggled against big, physical Championship teams. And it has to be admitted Allardyce has the best CV of all the candidates.
But what happens beyond (hopefully) promotion? You'd trust Allardyce would realise that he has to merge set-piece football with the passing tradition of Greenwood and Lyall, or the crowd will turn on him. Allardyce is particularly vulnerable being a northerner too. You'd hope that his experience at Newcastle means he knows the importance of winning over the home crowd. In Sam's favour, Grant's defence was that we played good football (which we didn't) and look where that got us.
Yes, we'd settle for fifth place and the Europa League, which was the small miracle he achieved at Bolton, but not at any price.
So far Sullivan and Gold have got all the big decisions wrong: undermining Zola, appointing Grant, then undermining him with the botched O'Neill approach. Let's pray they've got this one right.
Maybe we can now win matches and lose friends, which would be a change. As will be wearing clogs in Ken's Cafe. But will Nigel cheer ugly goals? And can Fraser's dodgy neck take it? Over to you, Big Sam.
5 comments:
On the plus side, we may not concede from every single set piece and cross; the players should be fitter - I don't think they have been fit enough since Curbishley left; and he tends to have a good medical team, and few injuries, which will help. This appointment may also help us retain key players and attract new ones, as they will expect him to get promotion. On the down side, if he starts badly the crowd will turn on him quickly. I would have been devastated by this had we still been Premier League, but as rival crowds will be quick to remind us next season, we're not famous any more...
Not sure why that previous one was listed as anonymous, I'm not ashamed to admit it, I have mixed feelings about Allardyce....On second thoughts perhaps I should stay anonymous
Mixed feelings too. At least the set-piece acumen will be welcomed. And as you say, he is a big name who might attract players. Fitness last season was appalling, as we saw at Wigan, Birmingham and every other game we lost late on.
I think its a case of the best of an indifferent bunch of potential candidates & that really is being damned by faint praise. We know from experience that the Championship is a brutal division and if Allardice can get us out of it, so be it. His relationship with Karen Brady should be interesting, if reports of his shall we say, unreconstructed views of women are accurate.
Yes, Brady versus Big Sam should make interesting viewing!
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