“I haven’t spoken to him about it just yet but I’ve left him a message and I’m sure we will talk in the near future”.
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“Last year I played with Jermain Defoe down the middle on his own…so the style of play associated with me can’t really be associated with me”, he said of the 5-foot-7 (1.7-metre) striker.
Motivational qualities are widely regarded as one of Allardyce’s strongest suits and he will aim to bring the methods honed across spells with Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham and Sunderland to fruition on the biggest stage. Rooney was one of many Premier League stars who disappointed at the summer tournament in France in spite of putting in fine performances in the qualifiers where England had a 100% winning record in the 10 matches they played.
It had been suggested that Rooney’s captaincy of England was a foregone conclusion but Allardyce, speaking at St George’s Park on Monday morning, has moved to deny those reports, citing the infancy of his tenure as the reason for the delay on a decision.
Asked if he was considered not good enough for the England job in 2006, and what had changed since, Allardyce said: “I was good enough then”.
“England’s first competitive game under Allardyce sees them travel to Slovakia on September 4 and punters may look to use their free bet to back the new man to guide the Three Lions to first place in World Cup qualifying Group F”.
“So whatever people may tell me, it doesn’t stop me from trying something else, or trying to create another opportunity”.
“Style of play has always been a tag that I can’t shake”, he said. “For me, it is absolutely the best job in English football”, the 61-year-old Allardyce said in a statement.
“I think five Premier League clubs has given me a huge amount of experience”. “Fernando Hierro, Youri Djorkaeff, Jay-Jay Okocha, Gary Speed, Nicolas Anelka and Michael Owen”.
“I think the England fanbase will want re-inspiring, and I can’t think of a better person to re-inspire an England fanbase than Sam Allardyce”.
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“This will be the greatest challenge for me in my long career and hopefully I will be as successful as I have in the rest of my career”, Allardyce said. I think I fit the chair, I hope I do.
