The game of football is to be enjoyed – I’ve enjoyed my life in the game, so I want to enjoy this as the pinnacle of my career.
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Allardyce will pick his first Three Lions squad in late August ahead of the opening World Cup Qualifier with Slovakia on 4 September.
“The Premier League is the best league in the world so demand has to be on the players”.
New England boss Sam Allardyce was unveiled by the Football Association today and the manager also said in his first press conference after taking over the job that Wayne Rooney may or may not be the captain of the side.
The former Sunderland, West Ham United and Newcastle United manager suggested that Hodgson failed to get the best out of his players in France.
“I am here because I want to be here, because I want the challenge, I’m here because I think I can make the team better and I think I’m tough enough to take it”.
Allardyce, speaking at his first press conference at St George’s Park following his appointment, will seek to address that faulty mindset as England bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russian Federation.
“I don’t want to spend too much time on the past I want to think about future and future of improving these elite players we have”. I’m hardened over many years.
Allardyce told reporters: “The bonding of the team is exceptionally important and trying to create a good team spirit and to have some fun”.
Sammy Lee, who worked with Allardyce at Bolton and indeed replaced him when he left, will be part of his new coaching setup, while discussions are continuing with Paul Clement, who has recently been reunited with Carlo Ancelotti at Bayern Munich, about a role in the England camp.
Asked if the role was a “poisoned-chalice”, he smiled: “Not for me”. You toughen yourself for whatever job.
“It’s far too early to make predictions in that area”.
“I consider myself much more than that but that’s the label I’ve got, I can turn things around quickly and I can get amongst staff and create a successful journey that starts by us all pulling together”.
“When it comes to winning no trophies or cups, unfortunately as an English manager I never really got the chance to go right to the top of the Premier League”.
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“Style of play has always been a tag which I can’t shake but at Sunderland I played with Jermain Defoe down the middle on his own at 5ft 10in”, added Allardyce. “While my main focus will be on the senior team and getting positive results, I want to add my influence to the great work being done across the development teams at St. George’s Park – a facility I have used with my previous clubs. I don’t expect a player at this level to only want to play one position and one system”, he said.
