Pete Sixsmith casts some light, and also some wisdom, on talk of Big Sam for the England job, finding relief in reports – albeit from an occasionally dodgy source – that the FA don’t want him anyway …
As some of you may know, I am currently employed as a newspaper delivery operative (paper boy), working out of the shop from where I inherited Monsieur Salut’s Sunday round over 50 years ago.
One of the perks of the job, along with getting up early and talking to the goats that live on a smallholding at the end of Vaughan Street, is that I get to peruse the sports pages, like a latter day Billy Casper sitting on a rock above Barnsley reading The Dandy.
This morning was good reading for Sunderland supporters as most of the tabloid press had Eddie Howe and Jurgen Klinsmann as favourites for the England job. A (very) quick look at the Daily Star – it’s cheaper than the The Sun and Daily Mirror, probably because it is the thickness of the Morning Star on a good day – suggested that the Three Wise Men on the FA Panel had rejected Allardyce because they “do not like his style of play”.
Were this politics or serious news, I would be disinclined to believe the Star, but their football coverage is extensive and they seem to get some things right so I am happy to go along with it. As I walked back to the shop, I pondered on whether Messrs Ashworth, Gill and Glenn had actually seen Sunderland play last season.
Had they bothered to do so, they would have seen a goalkeeper who is comfortable behind his back four and who does not advertise shampoo or carry a novelty rucksack around with him while grinning his head off.
They would have found full backs who got forward quickly to aid the attack and who retreated equally quickly to fulfil their defensive tasks. One of them actually scored a few goals and both improved as players due to the manager insisting on teaching them how to defend.
They would have seen two central defenders who worked with each other and kept opposition forwards under a tight rein. Graziano Pelle was comfortably marked out of the game at Southampton, Romelu Lukaku was swamped in the home game against Everton and Diego Costa was snuffed out. By Kaboul and Kone.
In midfield, the players were committed and tackled effectively and, most importantly, knew their roles and played to them. Cattermole or Wilshere anyone?
And, most importantly, they would have seen a centre forward who did not take all the free kicks and corners, did not do a shimmy and a shammy and who was able to put the ball in the net from anywhere in the box. Gentlemen, I give you Jermain Defoe, another player who has benefited from Sam Allardyce and his style of play.
Those words tell us all that we need to know about the FA and its flawed and endlessly useless recruitment policy.
Can any of us imagine Allardyce going into a major championship with no Plan A, never mind a Plan B?
Would Sam have taken his assistant on a boat trip rather than watch his next opponents? Would he have taken Wilshere, a man who had not played a full game all season and who was probably lacking match fitness and sharpness?
There are those who deride Allardyce as a footballing dinosaur, a man who who plays hoofball and who was driven out of the Sports Direct by the football purists who demand so much from their managers and players.
Many of us must be pleased that the Three Wise Men have reached this conclusion as it would leave us in a pretty pickle if we lost him. Hopefully, a new contract will be faxed to Austria and it will be signed soon so we can continue to plan to do our Leicester City next season.
All we need to do is to find a King’s body* under a car park………..
* Poor Sixer, always better at school than M Salut, had to explain that reference to his thick editor. It may be no excuse that further research has thrown doubt on the theory that remains found in a Leicester car park were those of Richard III.
BSA doesn’t need to take the England job. It’ll be up for grabs again after the next World Cup (assuming we qualify and don’t hold your breath with this bunch of losers).
I see one half of WHU’s dildo twins is fully behind SA as front man for the job. If he’s so good, why did you sack him? Why not just say “anyone but Bilic”.
I’ll be disappointed if SA takes it. It has become a meaningless devalued job that adds nothing to your cv. There is no success managing England. The setup is rotten from top to bottom and it’s become a private club set up for the benefit if its members.
He’s at a bigger club now.
Calm down, Big Sam will not get the England job for a variety of reasons;
1. The FA never appoint the right person as they are too incompetent
2. Big Sam would lay down the law to the FA which they will not acquiesce to.
3. Steve Bruce is also being considered and is a totally ridiculous candidate, so is bound to be chosen by the incompetent FA.
The annoying thing is of course that this train of events is screwing up SAFC preparations for the new season. The FA (arrogant bastards) could have waited until after the season kicks off.
Lets face it the next England manager is going to have a real job on his hands with the current crop of has beens, never wazers and show ponies so its unlikely to effect Englands chances of winning anything anytime soon!!!
I have a feeling that the lack of transfer activity means that we are waiting to see who will be managing us next season. I have a bad feeling that it will not be Sam….hope I am wrong.
At half twelve Monday, Sam’s odds have shrunk alarmingly to as low as even money with William Hill. The interview is meant to be this week so let’s hope he ends a few sentences with a preposition and splits the occasional infinitive.
Can someone explain to me how someone who is not good enough to manage the maggots, west ham or blackburn is now the only choice for england, The first season in years I’ve actually been looking forward to and the FA come along and screw it up. & the irony of that that weasel Greg Dyke, not a decent thing to say about the club.
The last thing we need, another managerial change.
There again, it did not do Leicester any harm. In the case
of Sunderland, however, I get the feeling of “here we go again”. I hope that Sam’s unpopularity in the Metropolis will
result in him staying where he is.
I can tell you I am really worried about the club if Sam leaves.Last season at the end we were playing good football and beating some good teams,its a pity it was the back end of the season because who knows what would have happened if we had started like that.As for this season if Sam leave and I don’t think he will,because the people who run the England team are tossers and don’t have a clue,and they will pick Klinsman,hes a big name and I hope they do select him and leave big Sam where he is and belongs.We are just starting to get things right for once,all the deadwood are slowly leaving and under Sam I see a good future ahead for the club.I just wish he had signed a new contract already.
I’ll settle for all of these other wise men coming out of the woodwork to declare that our manager ‘is the man for England’. What’s it got to with them? Why can’t they mind their own bloody business!