Allardyce gets Sunderland manager role
Ex-Newcastle boss first to manage rival clubs
LONDON: Sam Allardyce was named as the new manager of Premier League strugglers Sunderland on a two-year contract on Friday.
Allardyce, who spent a season as a Sunderland defender in the 1980s, takes over from Dick Advocaat, who resigned last weekend after a draw against West Ham left his side second bottom of the top-flight table.
The 60-year-old will be returning to the north-east after previously managing his new club’s bitter rivals Newcastle.
He will be the first man ever to take charge of both Sunderland and Newcastle, who fittingly provide the opponents for Allardyce’s first home game in charge on Oct 25 following his maiden match at West Bromwich Albion on Oct 17.
Allardyce had taken a break from football after leaving West Ham at the end of last season, but he has been persuaded to return to management at the Stadium of Light despite Sunderland’s woeful form this season.
Refreshed after a lengthy holiday in Spain, Allardyce refuted reports that he had initially spurned Sunderland’s advances and said he is looking forward to the challenge of hauling his team away from the relegation zone.
“I have enjoyed my break from football and now I’m raring to get back. I met with [owner] Ellis Short and we spoke at length about the club and his ambitions and I knew I wanted to be part of that,” Allardyce said.
“Of course it’s a challenging job, but it’s something I have experience of in the past.
“I’m looking forward to working with the players and of course I will be relying on the help of the Sunderland supporters, whose tremendous passion I have experienced first-hand. I can’t wait to get started.”
Sunderland are yet to win a Premier League match this season, losing five of their eight games, and Allardyce arrives with morale at a low ebb following the acrimonious end of Advocaat’s brief reign.
Having saved Sunderland from relegation with a dramatic escape last season, Advocaat had hoped to revitalise the club with major investment from Short, but the Irish-American tycoon was unable to provide the required funds, prompting the Dutch coach to quit.
Allardyce could prove the ideal appointment in the circumstances, given his track record at Bolton, who he turned into a Premier League mainstay from unpromising materials, and West Ham, who were never in danger of relegation after he lead them to promotion from the Championship in 2012.
With his fondness for long-ball tactics, Allardyce has proved a polarising figure throughout a managerial career spanning for than 25 years.
Despite mostly positive results, he endured abuse from West Ham fans who felt his style of play betrayed the club’s perceived reputation as footballing purists.
Newcastle supporters were equally unhappy with Allardyce’s route-one philosophy during his eight-month reign on Tyneside in 2007-08.