Sam Allardyce has enjoyed himself in the two years since he was last in a football dug-out at West Brom.
He’s made regular visits to his favourite holiday destination of Dubai, been abroad for punditry work, spent quality time with his grandchildren and hosted a popular podcast ‘No tippy tappy football’.
Wife Lynne was glad her husband, who underwent heart surgery during his time at Blackburn, no longer had to endure the everyday stresses of football management. And in a recent podcast, Big Sam himself gave a realistic take on what the job entails, which explained why he’d turned down offers during his long sabbatical.
‘You manage the madness in the Premier League and it’s never been as mad as this season,’ he said. ‘It’s the biggest battle we’ve ever had going into the last few games with so many teams still involved in the fight against relegation. It’s a very tricky business.’
But when Leeds United come knocking, it’s a big call to turn down the chance of one last big innings. The Yorkshire club are in emergency mode having already sacked Jesse Marsch and seen his replacement Javi Gracia take only one point from the last 15, leaving the club out of the relegation zone only on goal difference.
Sam Allardyce has returned following a two-year sabbatical to rescue Leeds from relegation
Javi Gracia was axed on Tuesday – marking the Yorkshire club’s second sacking of the season
‘Even my friends call me Red Adair,’ joked Allardyce when he went into West Brom with a reputation of saving clubs in trouble.
The ex-England boss enjoys time in Dubai with his wife Lynne during his two-year break
On that occasion, he couldn’t work the magic at The Hawthorns and suffered a first relegation on his CV – sunk in part by an injury-time winner scored by Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.
As he headed for the exit, disappointed West Brom didn’t want to keep him on to get back out of The Championship, and he probably felt his management career was over.
Yet this season has already proved you’re never too old. The success of 70-somethings Roy Hodgson and Neil Warnock after answering SOS calls at Crystal Palace and Huddersfield has convinced the Leeds board that Allardyce still has something to offer.
With only four matches left, any new manager has to get his instructions over quickly and clearly, and that’s something Allardyce has been renowned for during his career with eight other Premier League clubs – Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Brom – and a brief spell with England.
During his absence from the dugout, Big Sam has hosted the ‘No tippy tappy football’ podcast
The relegation-threatened side are teetering above the drop zone on goal difference alone
He always found it difficult to court popularity in the long-term but over shorter spells, he was very successful in guiding Everton, Palace and Sunderland away from trouble when there didn’t seem much hope, even though Everton then declined to keep him on..
Leeds fans won’t be looking beyond the next four matches however. They have conceded an alarming 18 goals in their last five matches and they need to stop, particularly with their two remaining home matches – when Elland Road needs to be a fortress – against Newcastle and Spurs.
Big Sam can expect a healthy bonus if he can keep Leeds up, and nobody will blame him if the worst happens because the damage has been done already in the first 34 matches.
Leeds are the third club to have three managers this season, following Southampton and Chelsea. Allardyce will demand work-rate, passion and loyalty from his players and staff.
Allardyce has been out of work since failing to avoid relegation as West Brom manager in 2021
The manager’s first test comes against in-form title favourites Manchester City on Saturday
The name of his podcast ‘No tippy tappy’ gives a clue was to what tactics Leeds may employ under him, though Allardyce insists the long-ball image was exaggerated by managers like Arsene Wenger and Rafa Benitez.
‘I would have a bet with my Head of Media before press conferences that the media would mention my style of football in less than a minute,’ said Allardyce.
Togetherness is also a big trait of an Allardyce-run club, with long-time No 2 Sammy Lee explaining: ‘We had this war room where we wouldn’t always agree on things, but once we left the door, we go in the same direction.’
Leeds, whose disillusioned fan base got their wish when director of football Victor Orta was sacked on Tuesday, desperately need to go in the same direction, because their next task couldn’t be tougher – away to Manchester City on Wednesday.
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