[Archived] Sam Allardyce

[T4E]

Bolton: 7, 8, 6, 8, 17, 16.

Charlton: 13, 11, 7, 12, 14, 9.

Decent comparison, but can anybody quantify this by comparing what they both spent over these 6 seasons?

I dare say Curbishley's budget at Charlton is closer to what we'll be spending than Sam's was at Bolton.

[champions1995]

We may not all like the style of Sam's team football, but pretty football has seen teams relegated. I believe that until the day happens that Rovers are financally stable, Rovers supporters may have to put up with any style of football, as long as it gets Rovers the right results to keep them in the prem, this year and in the future - failure to do that would see Rovers go bust.

For some strange reason Blackburn Rovers are a club that the media appears to hate - do we care? NO.

Football is a money driven business and Rovers like all other teams have to do what they can to survive - Rovers can not compete for league titles etc, only to survive in the premiership.

One thing about Sam's style of football is that teams hate to play against it and to me that is in itself a good thing. This also helps in getting the right results, being a team hard to beat that other teams hate playing against. Let the media and any others hate Rovers for the style of football / manager etc etc. Rovers have to do what they can to stay solvent. Big Sam, I believe is the man currently to do that.

Exactly. West Brom have received much praise for the football they play, but they are bottom of the league and will almost certainly be playing Championship football next season. In contrast, Stoke have played a hard, direct and unattractive approach, and are now safe from relegation. When Norwich were relegated in the 2004-05 season, they received much praise from the media about the attractive and entertaining brand of football they played. The Canaries are now in League One and Premier League football is a distant memory.

We don't want to be in League One or the Championship. That could seriously cripple the club. Big Sam has done a great job for us so far and despite the ugly style of football, we are in touching distance of safety. Next season we can improve, but firstly we need to ensure our Premier League status and then we can crack on.

[LeChuck]

I dare say Curbishley's budget at Charlton is closer to what we'll be spending than Sam's was at Bolton.

I'm pretty sure Sam hardly spent any money in his whole time there. The only expensive signing was Anelka, but he was only there for one of Sam's seasons in charge. Barring Diouf and a nominal fee for Speed, I can't think who else cost money; Okocha, Stelios, Djorkaeff, Ben Haim, Campo, Nolan, Davies, N'Gotty, Pedersen, Hierro, Gardner, Hunt...that's pretty much the team he used and they were all free.

I can't imagine Bolton had a larger budget through that period than what we can offer him, even with the lack of backing we're getting at the moment.

[tony gale's mic]

Jesus. Sam has done part number 1 of his job pretty bloody well. Being as good as safe with four games left like we were after the Wigan game is something we would have more than settled for.

Who knows what's going to come next. But the fact people are trying to pre-empt a poor season next season smacks more of people wishing to have posts to bump next season if things do go bad more than anything.

[imy9]

I didn't say I remember a worse run, I said I remembered times when things looked worse than they did in November/December.

Curbishley did a better job at West Ham in more difficult circumstances than Allardyce did at Newcastle. Essentially Curbishley came into a worse situation than we were in and pulled off a miracle with a run, that if it had been replicated by us now, would see us challenging for Europe right now. Again, I didn't want Curbishley in December, but to say that Allardyce was the only man for the job and the only man with experience in similar circumstances is, quite frankly, ridiculous.

I think you are forgetting two key point here:

1. They had Tevez playing for them (illegally)

2. They beat a certain Blackburn Rovers with two diabolical decisions.

If Curbs was so good then surely he would have a job by now?

[Eddie]

He's been out of a job for less time than Allardyce was, so does that make Allardyce worse? As I said, didn't want Curbishley (although I think he'd be a very good manager at the right club) and I didn't want Allardyce.

[thenodrog]

It's hardly a ridiculous assertion. Of those available, who would want to join the club and who have experience in saving a club from relegation in the short term and then building on that success with a shoestring budget, I can see only Allardyce and Curbs as viable options. And, if I remember right, Curbs ruled himself out of the job.

Discussion over then.

[Amo]

It's ironic how Eddie projects his positivity to just about anyone other than his own club.

[Eddie]

It's not exactly unusual for supporters to take a more pessimistic view concerning their own club. Having said that, I'm as critical of other teams when I think they are being run badly or players when I think they aren't performing.

[gumboots]

It's not exactly unusual for supporters to take a more pessimistic view concerning their own club. Having said that, I'm as critical of other teams when I think they are being run badly or players when I think they aren't performing.

At the moment though even arch pessimists like me are trying to stay positive. Criticise all you want through the summer but for now try to look on the bright side and talk up our chances. We're not safe yet.

[Eddie]

I think we'll stay up. I have all along. My concerns are for the future, not this season (although I feel we should already be safe).

[jim mk2]

That's not a plus - it's the whole problem with this prehistoric gum-chewing slug currently inhabiting the home dugout.

We are going to lose the only slim remnants of technical ability left in the squad. And where a more up to date manager might try and replace like with like, we will end up with cloggers looking for a final hoof before they cash in their pensions.

It's a disaster waiting to happen - and this style of "football" (it's not really football) will alienate more Rovers fans than anything else that's happened in the last 50 years.

Tugay's show of dissent on Saturday is the final straw for me, the best player to grace the shirt in the last decade is being pushed out of the door by a manager who wouldn't recognise a cultured, well directed pass if it smacked him straight in the jowls.

I'll still have my season ticket next year, but I can see a Blues Bar membership being added for escape purposes. I'm not wasting my time in the BBE through the winter watching Jurassic Park 19 times over when there's a nice warm bar 30 feet below.

With each good result under Allardyce and safety virtually assured this poster is looking more and more ridiculous.

[SouthAussieRover]

Good to see you are happy Jim.

What better way to celebrate hey?

[Amo]

I think it's rather offensive and ungrateful for purists to come on here and slate Allardyce for this methods. He came in mid-season, with no funds, and a miserable looking squad bereft of talent, and managed to haul itself out of the mire for another season of top-tier football. And some people can only find the time to insult him and stir controversy instead of appreciating his efforts.

[tony gale's mic]

I think it's rather offensive and ungrateful for purists to come on here and slate Allardyce for this methods. He came in mid-season, with no funds, and a miserable looking squad bereft of talent, and managed to haul itself out of the mire for another season of top-tier football. And some people can only find the time to insult him and stir controversy instead of appreciating his efforts.

Tris manages to talk nonsense every time he posts about football so I wouldn't pay too much notice.

The latest "post-Sam" table has us at 10th again, ahead of Villa.

[John]

What a great job he has done, thank you Big Sam.

Most of our players cannot pass anyway, so keep it direct I say

[DE.]

The one thing I have criticised Allardyce for since he arrived was playing Samba up front... I take that back. Inspired decision, Samba's been immense up front, a real pest to opposition defences.

[gillibrand]

Thanks Sam it was always obvious you were the man for the job!

[Bobby G]

For me other than Stoke, and Coventry, everything else in terms of results has been pretty acceptable.

Our football hasnt been the best, but in our position results were all that mattered and to have been with us when we were 5 points adrift, and to take us 9 points above the zone at this moment has been a great achievement.

[Bazzanotsogreat]

Barring a set of freak results; we are safe with two games to play. What a job big Sam has done. When he arrived we were clueless, bottom of the league with moral at rock-bottom.

He inherited an ageing poor squad with certain key players- disinterested or playing well below par. He has turned around Robinson, Warnock Nelsen & Samba ( who have both been terrific for the last third of the season). To add to Sam’s problems he has had to without Reid, Emerton, Dunn, Grella, Roque Santa Cruz & Roberts for the vast majority of the time he has been at the club.

Many posters complain about the style of football; which I will admit is not pleasing on the eye. However, would you entrust players such as Andrews, Moko & Grella to play flowing football? We didn’t play flowing football under Hughes or Ince (major grimace). He has done this minimal support from the board (at least they are consistent), having to offload Derbyshire before he could bring in Givet on loan.

My final point is why the board chose Ince over Sam in the summer. What credentials (apart from representing the heaper option) could Ince ever of had, that made them choose the clown; over such an astute, experienced manager such as Sam?

[American]

According to Williams, they had a choice to go with inexperience and promise over experience and expense. It worked with Hughes, it failed with Ince. The expectation was that we would slip a little bit, but not as much as we did.

When you use that philosophy when buying players, you can afford a few duds. When you do it with managers, you can't afford a single dud.

[T4E]

Well summed up American.

Thanks for your help Sam, I wholeheartedly believed that you were the best man for the job, and you've proved it. 95% of the fans have been won over, and thats no mean feat.

I look forward to seeing you plan over the Summer for what should be a much better campaign next time out.

[joey_big_nose]

According to Williams, they had a choice to go with inexperience and promise over experience and expense. It worked with Hughes, it failed with Ince. The expectation was that we would slip a little bit, but not as much as we did.

When you use that philosophy when buying players, you can afford a few duds. When you do it with managers, you can't afford a single dud.

What I can't understand about it is how Ince came across so well in the interview that we gave him the job. The man had no staff, little knowledge of attainable targets for Rovers, no real cohesive strategy. I can't imagine his interview was anywhere near as impressive as Sam's or Hughes'. Seeing as he had no top level managerial experience his interview would have been the main thing the board would have to go on. He either is a far more eloquent and thought out guy face to face than he appears to be from the fans point of view. Or the board just decided to roll the dice.

The latter is unacceptable.

[tony gale's mic]

Shearer was first choice. Ince was second. Our board were unfathomably stupid.

Even though I made this thread in November, if I was to go back to the summer I still probably would've picked ten Cate over Allardyce. But there was a lot of unjustified opposition to Sam at the time. And when Ince had messed us up good and proper Sam was perfect for the rescue job.

[Billy Castell]

How is Ten Cate doing in Greece? We couldn't have gone for Laudrup if his 'Spanish team release clause' was true, as he may have been offered the Real Madrid job. And Shhhhhhteve McClaren would have been plain wrong however well he is doing in Holland. Would have been better than Ince though.