‘I’ve always had a huge amount of respect for him.
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While Allardyce and Sunderland have been working well together in the league, neither has a particularly healthy record against the Gunners.
“If I have a drink with Arsene (after the game), I want to talk about the fact we played so well, and does he have any players he might lend me in January?”
During the winter months, English football fans take on the argument of whether there should be a winter break in the Barclays Premier League season.
‘Because of what Arsene did in the past, because he was that successful in his earlier days, they (fans) can’t quite understand why they haven’t been that successful again, ‘ he said. That’s experience, and the more you learn about the game and what you need to do, the more you prioritise things much better. You wonder whether you can cope when you get there or not.
“There’s not a lot that actually surprises me today”.
Allardyce, though, admits that many managers, including Wenger, were unfair when it came to assessing the capabilities of him and his Bolton side.
The criticism stuck, and for all his achievements at the Reebok, Allardyce spent much of his time at Bolton battling against a perception that he was a footballing dinosaur espousing a playing style that belonged in the Dark Ages. When you’re making your way in the game, that’s hard. I’m not so sure what you do when you wind a manager up that it makes a difference your players when they go out. The last time I wound a rival manager up was Rafa [Benítez] when I was at Blackburn.
“I don’t think the Olympiakos tie is a distraction for Arsene because he’s got a very, very good chance of winning the Premier League”, said Allardyce.
“It was a great goal from Patrick [van Aanholt] and exactly what we needed because when a team go down to ten men the game changes and you have to break them down”.
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“Sam Allardyce’s side have had a couple of excellent results and a have a free swing at Arsenal at the Emirates but I just think the Gunners have enough quality to pick up a much needed three points”.
