The 61-year-old left Sunderland to sign a two-year deal with the Football Association on Friday, replacing Roy Hodgson after he resigned following a dismal last-16 exit to Iceland at Euro 2016.
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“People see me as someone who can go into a club and turn things around very quickly and I suppose that comes around by taking West Ham up, saving Blackburn and saving Sunderland”.
“It’s my first day in, I’m getting my feet under the table and meeting everyone”.
Branded a troubleshooter for his work with struggling Premier League teams during his career, Allardyce feels he has the club-fixer tag thanks to his track record of maximising player potential.
“But, I played with Jermain Defoe down the middle on his own at 5ft 10in (sic) last year, so the style of play that’s normally associated with me can not really be associated with me when we spent all last year playing up front alone”. You have to manage that, not just manage players but manage staff, to delegate to them and to give confidence to produce the qualities they have which are actually better qualities than me, the former Sunderland head coach said.
Sam Allardyce will not announce any decision on Wayne Rooney’s England captaincy until after his first meeting with his players.
“It’s far too early to make any predictions”. “We will adapt our style to play different opponents”.
And only then did he decide to honour the final year of his contract at the Stadium of Light – until the FA sent out an SOS for him to lead England to the 2018 World Cup. “I’m not saying! I think Jose will determine that”, added Allardyce. You toughen yourself for whatever job.
“I expect the players to be very adaptable and very flexible”.
Sam Allardyce was also pushed for comment about the attitude of the England players and how they approach games at major tournaments.
‘Not only did we have a great time at Bolton but I’ve relied on his worldwide experience over the years as well.
“I think I’m at the right age, with the right experience and hopefully I can pass my knowledge and experience onto the team and the staff working behind the team”.
Newcastle fans may argue with that statement, and “success” is very much subjective where Big Sam is concerned but most clubs he’s been at have improved under his stewardship and some, such as Bolton, have reached new heights under his watch.
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“The challenge of the Premier League is not as big a challenge to me as when I first got there because I’ve done it for so long. Players should keep that, they should hold it and use it as a positive, say “we don’t want to experience that again”, he said in an interview with FATV.
