LITTLE BIG SAM
A TEAM photo from 38 years ago shows how new England football boss Sam Allardyce got his nickname Big Sam.
Clearly Sam, 61, has always been a head and shoulders above the rest.
He sits on the front row in the black and white snap of Brierley Hill and Dudley Under-15s in November 1968 – and dwarfs his team-mates.
Sam was just 14, a full year younger than most of the other lads, but he was already a towering 6ft 2in.
Bus
laugh and a joke. Sam was a typical Black Country lad and very grounded. We used to catch the bus to matches because neither of our families had a car.
“He’s worked hard for what he has and he deserves it.”
Goalkeeper John Bowes, said: “Sam was younger than everyone in the team, but he never got any stick… he was too big to pick on!
“He played left-back and centrehalf and was a great team player.”
Captain Chris Pearson, the son of team manager George Pearson, said: “My dad picked Sam. He always said, ‘If you’re good enough, you’re old enough.’ Sam’s size struck you. He was taller than everyone else but was always a shy and quiet lad. He was a great footballer.
“We went to play at the Crystal Palace stadium and he demolished the crossbar. It literally fell down after his shot hit it.” Sam grew up in a council house in Dudley with his police sergeant dad Robert and mum Mary. He and his wife Lynne have been married for 42 years and have a son Craig, 41, and daughter Rachael, 37.
His pro career began with Bolton Wanderers at the age of 15 and he helped them win promotion to the top flight in 1978. He also played for Sunderland, Millwall, Coventry, Huddersfield and Preston plus US side Tampa Bay Rowdies.
Sacked
Sam moved into management with Limerick, before steering Notts County and Bolton to promotion. He was in the last two for the England job ten years ago but Steve McClaren was picked. In other setbacks he was sacked by Newcastle, Blackburn and Blackpool. But in 2012 he took West Ham to the Premier League and last season he saved Sunderland from relegation. Another former Brierley Hill and Dudley player, Greg Fellows, reckons the new England supremo will not be found lacking in grit. Greg, who played for Aston Villa and Man United, said: “Sam was tough, physical. You wouldn’t mess with him. “I think it’s a great appointment and he’ll do well.”