Four key tasks facing Allardyce as he takes charge of England
1 England expects, so aim big
A change of mindset is needed in his new job, bearing in mind that at all of his clubs Allardyce was pragmatic and clinical. Like a few of his peers, he would divide the season into several parts and set a target of points for each section. He looked at the forthcoming fixtures and earmarked the games he thought he could win and then concentrated his resources on those particular matches. That meant perhaps resting players on certain occasions so they were fresh at the right time. Chelsea away? Well, avoiding defeat would be first port of call. West Brom at home on the other hand might get his full attention. For a week or two beforehand, training and planning would be geared towards that day. With England, however, people expect more. Any defeat, no matter the opposition, will cause a stir. Allardyce must therefore tweak his attitude and try to win every game in a positive manner. He can no longer claim the underdog role.
2 Be your own man
It is important that Allardyce sticks to his philosophy rather than being swayed by public opinion. I felt that Roy Hodgson (below) succumbed to this at Euro 2016 when he plumped for youth and adventure. It was certainly a turnaround from the rest of a managerial career based on solid shape and a certain caution. For Allardyce, it is about sticking to his beliefs through thick and thin. At some point, criticism will inevitably rain down from a great height as people have a go at his forthright style. Through all this, Allardyce must remember that this modus operandi actually won him the job in the first place. He wasn’t chosen for promoting sophisticated tiki-taka football. He was chosen for his strong leadership and longheld ideals. We want the uncompromising ‘Big Sam’ of many years’ standing, not a watered down version to appease the doubters.
3 First impressions are crucial
Selling his pitch to the players is absolutely vital. Convincing them of his methods must be the first task. Because if Wayne Rooney, say, does not think much of training and of what is being asked of each individual, the manager is struggling from the get-go. This also applies to his assistants, Craig Shakespeare and Sammy Lee (below), both of whom must impress in these early days. Shakespeare, in particular, as coach of champions Leicester, has no reason to feel anything but confident. But players make up their minds quickly about new faces. Getting off to a good start does no one any harm. Mind you, Allardyce, for one, has never lacked faith in his own ability. Watching him go through some moves at St George’s Park with Rooney and Harry Kane the other day, it struck me that the new man should have no problems at all. That sizeable frame bears a natural authority that tends to carry any group in his direction.
4 Chase away those demons
As his predecessors discovered, the final piece of the jigsaw will be hardest to find, namely handling the pressure when England get backed into a corner. Even though Hodgson brought psychiatrist Steve Peters on board, that longstanding weakness could not be cured in France when Iceland went 2-1 up. Allardyce has already brought people in to talk to the squad with a view to using them on a regular basis. A company co-founded by the swimmer Adrian Moorhouse looks at ways to get the very best from a team or individuals. Whether they can succeed where others have failed will only become clear in tournament football. That is where England struggle, when the heat is turned up. And so we embark on a two-year phoney war when the World Cup qualifiers will only tell us so much. For Allardyce, it is about going the extra yard in Russia, unlocking a part of the mind that holds players back at the crucial moment.