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Sacked Allardyce deserved better

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Phil McNulty | 17:51 UK time, Monday, 13 December 2010

Sam Allardyce had no inkling of what was lurking around the corner only nine days ago when Blackburn Rovers rose to eighth place in the Premier League with .

Aston Villa had been beaten in Blackburn's previous home game and Allardyce was revelling, as usual, in what he effectively regarded as a career-long struggle for managerial acceptance.

He admitted: "We never get credit for things, but that's the way it is. We are just a small town club enjoying ourselves by winning football matches. The fortress of Ewood Park is back and the walls are getting higher."

He may have at least expected credit inside that Lancashire fortress, but the walls were not high enough to prevent .

I asked Allardyce what he felt he had to do at Blackburn to receive the approval rating he believed he was due after taking the club from peril to respectability in the Premier League in just two years.

He replied: "Keep winning football matches. The most important thing is winning and entertaining and I think our fans will be happy we have beaten Aston Villa and Wolves at home in consecutive games without conceding a goal.

"If you get the maximum out of your players you can't ask any more than that."

Former Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce

Troubleshooter Allardyce is unlikely to be out of work for long - photo: Reuters

Blackburn have lost one match since then - Sunday's narrow 2-1 away defeat by Allardyce's old club Bolton - but the new Ewood Park hierarchy have swiftly decided that he is not the man to provide the winning and entertaining football they demand.

Allardyce does not seek, or indeed receive, sympathy, but there does seem a heavy sense of injustice that the solid, if unspectacular, job he has done at Blackburn has earned him the reward of dismissal.

The clue may have come in the gap between Allardyce's understandable description of Blackburn as "a small town club" and what power brokers Balaji and Venkateshwara Rao have in mind for their investment.

Introducing themselves to Blackburn's fans via the match notes against Wolves, Balaji Rao said: "We see real sustainable growth for the club moving forward, both within the UK and also internationally and we intend to exploit our in-depth knowledge of the Indian market in particular, and beyond that the whole of Asia."

If we cut through the business jargon, this could uncover the "wider plans" they have for Blackburn - and perhaps they felt Allardyce was simply not big enough to carry them as far and wide as they want.

This, however, is a high-risk strategy because most sound judges would suggest Allardyce was the perfect man for a club of Blackburn's current stature, a manager with a proven track record of getting results at this level and keeping teams in the top tier.

Whichever Premier League clubs Allardyce has managed he's always provided plenty of bang for the owner's buck.

So while Chelsea have invested just over £3m to win each point, Blackburn have spent just under £400,000.

told Allardyce he "deserved a chance". If this was a chance, it was a brief one.

, Allardyce moved Blackburn out of relegation trouble, put them in the Premier League's top 10 last season and made a respectable start this term. This is, by most standards, highly-creditable work.

, and one they will presumably have measured carefully, but the new men at the top at Ewood Park might need to learn to walk in the Premier League before they run.

Allardyce was more or less a guarantee of Premier League survival. , and that was a decision they were able to reflect on at leisure in the Championship.

This is not to say the same will happen at Ewood Park, but the Raos have put themselves in the spotlight and under pressure almost as soon as they have walked through the door by taking making such a speedy move.

The private thoughts of Blackburn's measured and highly-respected chairman John Williams might also be revealing, as the decision to sack a manager who has steadied a club that was heading for the Championship before his arrival hardly squares with the Rovers chief's publicly stated desire for "important stability" as the new Ewood era got under way.

Former Blackburn Rovers midfield man and ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 5 Live pundit Robbie Savage said: "I know the chairman John Williams well but it's obviously the owners who have made this decision. Sam was doing a good job, what do people expect? He will be very disappointed."

It is a mood reflected by Blackburn's players, with captain Ryan Nelsen "absolutely gutted" by the decision as he hailed Allardyce's "unbelievable job".

have ensured he is a figure who always polarises opinion, but judgement of his work at Ewood, if based on results rather than perception of his ego, suggests he has been a success.

, and he insists his pursuit of success is based on a meticulous analysis of the game's percentages.

Even during the convincing win against Wolves, there was still an undercurrent of dissent from some Blackburn fans, especially when it became clear Allardyce had ordered his side, not unreasonably, to protect their lead.

A period of measured possession football was met with loud jeering and vociferous criticism of Allardyce, ironic as one of the accusations levelled at him is that he is too happy to ignore the passing game in favour of the more direct approach.

And for all the brickbats habitually aimed in Allardyce's direction, Blackburn were not simply a one-dimensional side. .

Only last week, when reflecting on Chris Hughton's sacking by Newcastle, Allardyce might have been predicting his own fate when he said: "Sometimes quick decisions are made based on the way the game is today. There is so much money involved in it now that it is almost as important as winning a game of football, in some cases even more important.

"That causes people to worry more quickly and make quicker decisions, whether they are right or wrong. It is their football club. They are entitled to make those decisions and we have to live with the decisions that they make. All we can do is move on."

Allardyce's obvious regard for his talents as a manager will cause some to revel in his downfall, but this must not disguise the fact that he has done as well as could reasonably have been expected at Blackburn and deserved more time to convince his new owners that he was the man to take the club forward.

Such is Allardyce's bullet-proof self-belief that he will spend his first night out of work convinced he will soon be back in management - and he is likely to be proved right.

It is coming to the time of the season when troubleshooters are required, and Allardyce is sure to get the call sooner rather than later.

and

Comments

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  • First
  • 1
  • Comment number 1.

    It really is a surprising decision, who else will get Blackburn mediocre results playing an archaic, mundane style of football.

  • Comment number 2.

    good, his teams are always dreadful to watch!

  • Comment number 3.

    I can not believe that football has come to this, where good managers such as Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce are sacked for no other reason than the vanity of wealthy club owners. I hope for the sake of the fans that these clubs stay up, I dread to think what would happen to the entire club staff should they get relegated.

  • Comment number 4.

    Ridiculous decision...similar events to what has been going on at Newcastle!

    Have a read of Newcastle and the Managerial Circus.

  • Comment number 5.

    Another crazy decision in the world of football. Whilst not being one of Sam's fan's - he gets the job done. No doubt. Considering that the owners just got here you would at least assess your position before making your move. Saying that they have a number of takers in mind so the risk may be justified. Still can't see why you would make the move now unless you want someone else to spend the money...

  • Comment number 6.

    Big Sam is now free to go to Real Madrid - what a joke

  • Comment number 7.

    Perhaps Blackburn have taken notice of the excellent work done by Chris Hughton and are acting fast to make sure they can snap him up.

    But seriously, are the Premier League owners all entered into some sort of "stupidest firing" contest this year? Chelsea thought they had it in the bag by booting out Ray Wilkins, Newcastle scorched into the lead by sacking Hughton, and now Blackburn have put up a creditable showing. We await the next club to put down their insanity marker before the transfer window opens.

  • Comment number 8.

    The man keeps teams in the Premiership. Yes, he doesn't play great football but he got results. Expect him at West Ham before next weekend.

  • Comment number 9.

    As a Blackburn fan this is just a mysterious decision to make. What is the point in sacking him now? Why not wait till the end of the season and do it?? I watched the game on sunday and it is frustrating seeing the ball spend more time in the air than on the deck, but with the strikeforce we have we don't have the strikers that run in behind defences. Time the owners got real. They said when taking over that they didn't have short term lofty ambitions. Just a naive move at the wrong time. Sends out the wrong message to good managers out there just like Newcastle have.

  • Comment number 10.

    Wave bye-bye to the PL Blackburn. Stupid new owners, stupid decision. Just see Walker's legacy go to waste after the Trust sold old!!

  • Comment number 11.

    Looks like the Indian owners want a high profile manager to raise their profile. I think Maradonna would be perfect as he is one of the most famous players in India. Can't see him coming though. Any other suggestions?

  • Comment number 12.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 13.

    Sorry, that should read "Sold out".

  • Comment number 14.

    I was shocked by the sacking but happy the Sam years are over. This is a man who kept on telling us what a wonderful job he was doing, how he was better than our small club and wanted to leave when his contract ran out. Why give him millions to spend when he would be off in a year and half?

    A man happy to accept the praise for the victories and blame the players for the defeat, whilst we play horrible football.

    The whole story reminds me of Don Mackay's sacking when Jack Walker took over the reins.

  • Comment number 15.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 16.

    I'm no fan of big Sam, but he is, at least, a 'football man'. Perhaps we can now all see what our beloved game has become - a whimsical plaything of the rich. Football has truly lost its soul.

  • Comment number 17.

    You almost have to admire a man who can keep a team mid-table whose biggest attacking threat is is big lumbering centre-back.
    Almost, until you notice how abject the rest of the teams below them really are.

    The Premier League is so weak in the last few years that such an uninspiring team can be quite comfortably safe from relegation.

    As for Allardyce himself, he brings together the worst traits of a manager... The moaning of Hughes and Bruce, ugly tactics of Pulis and add the delusions of grandeur and you have someone impossible to respect in footballing terms.

    I can't imagine there would have been a large number of international stars willing to play for him even if the Indian owners could offer them £100,000s per week. Evidently, as a 45-year-old Michel Salgado is as exciting as they've been able to attract.

  • Comment number 18.

    Who will replace Allardyce ? Hopefully, someone who will turn Blackburn's style of football into something more eye-pleasing ...

  • Comment number 19.

    Which managers are on the cards ? Is Houghton a prospect ...?

  • Comment number 20.

    Blackburn - very very rarely - play football which is pleasing on the eye. They played decent football against Wolves and it was a convincing win for them .

  • Comment number 21.

    Allardyce does not deserve this! He punches above his weight with mid-table teams and he knows a lot more about the Prem then these Indian owners. what a joke, seen their league position and seen Blackburn's squad, People moan about his style of Football but he gets results, Football is about results, I despise the fickle nature of the premiership these days.

  • Comment number 22.

    Guardiola to manage Rovers ! (like thats going to happen ... or is there a chance ... ? )

  • Comment number 23.

    #12 - you really believe that????? The blog was writen because for the second time in a week a manager has been fired - completely out of the blue - despite making his team as successful as anyone other than the owner could realistically expect.

  • Comment number 24.

    Rovers are a premier league club. That is all you can say. For the past decade or so, they have not won anything ... but they are a prem club and they will stay in the premier league.

  • Comment number 25.

    #24 - 2002 League Cup??? Wonder who won that?? Oh thats right Blackburn!

  • Comment number 26.

    Come on CRvsLM, humour me ! How many full games involving Rovers have you seen since Allardyce took over ??

  • Comment number 27.

    Blackburn Rovers will never attract a huge market in India-unless they intend to play cricket.

  • Comment number 28.

    A typical article written by an observer/journalist who doesn't watch an Allardyce team play on a week-to-week basis. The decision was a little harsh, but very understandable if you watch an Allardyce team regularly. It's true that "Allardyce has always been an advocate of football's scientific methods" but the end product is a form of "anti-football" that is very very painful to watch for a football fan who is spending his/her hard earned cash to watch football. The defeat against 10-man Bolton was an excellent example of an Allardyce team being unable to play with any kind a flare and capitalise on a clear advantage. This kind of thing happened several times when Allardyce managed Newcastle, and was incredibly frustrating for the paying public. This decision is certainly a gamble by the Blackburn's new owners, but I suspect few Rovers fans will shed a tear, as long as the right man is appointed to replace Allardyce. When Newcastle sacked Allardyce, there was a collective sigh of relief. The fans did not drive him out (as the popular media myth would make you believe), but they were relieved to get rid of him. It's too simplistic to say that Newcastle got relegated because they sacked Allardyce - there were countless other massive mistakes after this (eg appointing Keegan, appointing Wise over his head, selling good players like Milner, appointing Kinnear, Kinnear having a heart attack etc etc). The important thing for Blackburn is to appoint the right man now. They could do a lot worse than Chris Hughton...

  • Comment number 29.

    #26
    Clarify your message

  • Comment number 30.

    @12 - what you on about? You trying to say it's a zenaphobic article?
    This blog would have been written regardless of the nationalities of the manager or the chairmen (just like a similar one was wrote about Newcastle last week) as it's big news and has come as a shoke to everyone ina and around the game

  • Comment number 31.

    Absolutely shocking decision. If mid table clubs are going to start ditching their managers then Grant, McCarthy and Martinez will really be looking over their shoulders.

    Given the personalities involved, I don't see as much sympathy for big Sam as was afforded Hughton but looking at results, it's baffling.

  • Comment number 32.

    2002 league cup ? That's it ? Let me rephrase - Have rovers won anything ? Hell no !

  • Comment number 33.

    So what is the League Cup? Is not a footballing honour? So that is a trophy numpty!

  • Comment number 34.

    Allardyce has been a steady, effective hand on the tiller and sacking was grossly undeserved. Blackburn are not one of the big four (three? five?), but have been consistently competitive, and for a team their size and with their means you can't ask much more of a side or a manager than that. This doesn't bode well for Blackburn's new ownership, and I'd expect a big fan backlash.

  • Comment number 35.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 36.

    @12. Completely wrong. This blog is to try and explain why Walrus was sacked and not for any other reason.

    It seems as though some people are determined to make it a race issue which is disturbing but typical of this country in 2010.

    Having said that you probably wanted a reaction and myself and a couple of others have been daft enough to fall for it

  • Comment number 37.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 38.

    It wasn't "a period of measured possession football" that "was met with loud jeering" but a manager who changes formation to 5 at the back when 3-0 up at home. That is not protecting your lead, that is insulting to fans who have paid to watch a game of football. We could have scored another 3 against Wolves and I was one of the disappointed "jeering" fans. Let's hope that Allardyce is the next of a string of boring, long ball, defensive, managers that get the sack this season. Bring on Holloway I say! At least we could watch some attacking football.

  • Comment number 39.

    Allardyce did not do well in Newcastle. I hope the ´óÏó´«Ã½ won't rewrite history to promote an English manager.

  • Comment number 40.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 41.

    So who will be next? Avram Grant followed by Roy Hodgson?

  • Comment number 42.

    In business, when you buy a company, it's normal to get rid of the existing MD and put in your own man/woman. Maybe our Indian friends view this purely as a commercial decision but they may find out rather quickly that football is a unique industry where the normal rules of commerce don't apply. I suspect the value of their investment is about to drop like a stone after making a particularly unwise change of leadership.

  • Comment number 43.

    Allardyce was fine at Newcastle. They're no bigger than Blackburn and they weren't going to be relegated.

  • Comment number 44.

    Allardyce's head is huge (not just physically). He thinks that he was treated harshly at Newcastle and now at Blackburn. And as for taking over at Barca or Real Madrid....he could always get a job writing jokes for Christmas Crackers.

    Paul Ince back again?????

  • Comment number 45.

    No, he deserved what he got.

    Survival is not everything.

    Holloway and Di Matteo have shown us that teams with a disadvantage can play excellent football yet make a fight of it without resorting to kicking lumps out of the opposition and hoping for a set piece.

    Well done to Blackburn for hopefully cleansing the Permiership of this hideous disease.

  • Comment number 46.

    What do Blackburn fans want? Open attacking football in the Championship or year on year stability in the Premiership? Dislike Sam's style all you want but he eventually got Jay-Jay to Bolton who started to play some good football.

    And who to take over? Who's going to do a better job? I leave it to your better judgement to tell me a better manager suited to the job...

  • Comment number 47.

    We can expect alot more from Big Sam's friends in the media lamenting the demise of their golden boy, but virtually no-one else will miss him and his style of anti-football.

    God help England if he's ever appointed manage of the national team.

  • Comment number 48.

    I rate Big Sam very highly as a football manager, he does have some other issues that I dislike but nobodys perfect. He done very well at Blackpool and Notts county, absolutely fantastic at Bolton but never given any time at Newcastle. The Blackburn sacking is even more outrageous but that's down to owners who haven't a clue about English football. They will learn the hard way just like Newcastle and Blackpool.

  • Comment number 49.

    We'll know that the football world needs communal locking up in a funny farm if Arsene Wenger loses his job for losing at Old Trafford tonight......

  • Comment number 50.

    He always seems to get the sudden departures. No doubt he is a fantastic manager, one of the rare English managers which I think has the capabilities in coaching their national side. He buys players which fit perfectly to his managed team. He did that with Bolton and he was about to do it with Blackburn. Under Newcastle, he was given no time whatsoever.

    Rovers should have waited until January when the takeover money comes to affect. I see rumours that Andranik Teymourian was coming to Blackburn. He failed to do so in the summer due to work permit issues but since that he has played the required amount of international matches, he could go there. He's certainly Big Sam's favourite but since he's gone, no one knows who's coming or who's going next month...

  • Comment number 51.

    Allardyce and his ilk, i;e Tony Pulis, are relics from the past. The game has moved on; passion, getting stuck in, hoof-ball have no place in the modern game. Technique, skill, movement, passing is the way forward. No wonder England struggle against the big boys.

  • Comment number 52.

    The sacking of Sam proves just one thing, that when rich foreigners buy a club in England, they think that they will win the league immediatly, I believe they think we are a third world football community and that they are our saviours come to show us how to run football... time will tell

  • Comment number 53.

    #15 - Well said that man

    Premiership football is a massive uphill battle for the likes of Blackburn, Bolton and half a dozen others besides. The financial inequities are huge - and getting worse all the time - whilst the media continually focus on their own chosen darlings, usually in London like dear ol' West 'Am and Tottenham (they're in the Champions League don't you know) Hotspur.

    Allardyce fights the odds all the time and usually wins. Remember where Rovers where when he joined and where they are now. His first job was always going to be to stabilise the club and strengthen them defensively. Having achieved that I'm sure he would have looked to add a little finesse over the coming years if the new owners hadn't lost the plot - a decision I'm sure they will come to regret.

    As a Wanderers fan, I'll always be grateful to big Sam, by far the most successful manager we've had in my 42 years to date. As for those gullibles who drone on about anti-football, why not take the time to have a look at some of the football Bolton played with Djorkaeff, Okocha and Hierro in our side and take those Arsene Whinger inspired splinters out of your eyes whilst your doing it.

    Good luck for the future big man and I'm sure you'll be back in the Premier League soon.

  • Comment number 54.

    Just another example of how Premier League clubs are now being run by a ruthless gang of filthy rich tyrants. The beautiful game in this country is now a distorted capitalist corporation which masquerades as the "English Premier League" - hardly recognisable from the game I grew up with and loved in the 80's and 90's.

    English top-flight football is no longer a reflection of the common man in the stands, it is instead an elitist playground where the fan and the average working man (Chris Hughton, Sam Allardyce) are treated as a mere commodities.

  • Comment number 55.

    dogeared - we have also had countless other examples of teams trying to play football and punching below their weight because of that. West Brom a couple of years ago a prime example.

  • Comment number 56.

    OH NO, Poor Sir Purple Honker i'll b disgusted, that's 6 points a year Man U i'll have to scrap for now, but the brightside is Big Deputy Daug i'll b free for golf moreoften. HA HA HA.

  • Comment number 57.

    Mourinho must be watching his back, Fat Sam is now free to ascend to his self-proclaimed rightful position at one of the 'biggest' clubs.

  • Comment number 58.

    51. At 10:31pm on 13 Dec 2010, AndyRAC wrote:

    Allardyce and his ilk, i;e Tony Pulis, are relics from the past. The game has moved on; passion, getting stuck in, hoof-ball have no place in the modern game. Technique, skill, movement, passing is the way forward. No wonder England struggle against the big boys.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Yet somehow both Stoke and Blackburn find themselves within one win of a european football place ? Seriously don't be so arrogant. If you don't like it fine but they are both rather successful managers and I don't believe you are. Besides I think a team that includes Tuncay, Gudjohnson, Pennant and Etherington must be a something a little more then a "hoof ball" team. Not everyone can afford Cesc Fabregas, Sami Khedira, Iniesta etc etc. Both managers did very well and Allardyce on one of the league's smallest budget.

  • Comment number 59.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 60.

    Looking @ the photo above, he'll not b out of work long if they make The Green Mile 2.

  • Comment number 61.

    Since Sam is now on the available list why dont we find him a job with another team who has suffered from a sparsity of results, low levels of performance and confidence and lacking a winning formula. It would be intriguing to see if he can bring them up the table of teams. He is surely not the most expensive as a manager and I think he will be welcomed as a disciplined and effective motivator - the team in question of course England!!

  • Comment number 62.

    I see the naive idiots are out in force again.

    Arsenal who play beautiful football lost against pragmatism tonight. Barcelona lost against inter Milan last year, should have lost against chelesea but uefa got them through and united beat them the season before. Barcelona were clearly the better team but pragmatism won out as it always does.

    Blackburn are idiots just as any fool who thinks Big Sam should have gone. Pragmatism wins puresists are delusional.

  • Comment number 63.

    Allardayce deserves nothing from football. Thats what he puts in. Football, we are constantly told, is a business. But its an entertainment business fundamentally, and Fat Sam's teams are generally a cure for insomnia.

    Good riddance, hope we dont see him back in any professional league.

  • Comment number 64.

    @51. "Allardyce and his ilk, i;e Tony Pulis, are relics from the past. The game has moved on; passion, getting stuck in, hoof-ball have no place in the modern game."

    Allardyce and Pulis are not relics of the past. A good manager is someone who makes the most of the talents at his disposal. It doesn't matter how you do that. Hoofing the ball long is just as legitimate a tactic as passing it along the floor in any era, so long as you win. Same with passion and getting stuck in. Speaking of getting stuck in, I suggest you look at the stats - Rovers near the top of the fair play statistics last time I checked. Just because we kicked the ball long does NOT mean we tackle rashly or injure players (as the common misconception seems to be). Allardyce's devotion to the statistical side of football meant that he asked our players NOT to make tackles they weren't certain of winning, as he believed that most goals come from set pieces. In fact, i'd rather we got stuck in more as i enjoy seeing a crunching tackle as much as a delightful pass.

    Having said that, I was no great fan of Allardyce. Not because of long ball, but because we simply weren't attacking enough. Long ball or short ball, you cannot score goals if you never get players forward. Allardyce was so intent on defending he sometimes forgot to try and score. As a result we became far too reliant on set piece goals. When he took the reins off the players we could attack, play some exciting football and win games (towards the end of last season it was good stuff, even if it was long ball).

    I would've been in favour of sacking him with the Walker Trust in charge - i would've trusted them to appoint a good replacement. With the chicken farmers in charge I am worried, as i am frightened to death we will end up with a big-name fool who will take us down (e.g. Maradona has been mentioned!)

  • Comment number 65.

    Let's be honest, there's not many non- Rovers fans who can judge the way they play. After all, most of us MOTD fans have gone to bed by the time Blackburn are on...;) ( although, being a Stoke fan, I can sympathise).


    Poor old Big Sam. Very much your Bob the builder (gets the job done) kind of manager; what you see is what you get etc. Interested to see who they bring in. Robbie Savage anyone...?

  • Comment number 66.

    RE #51.

    "The game has moved on; passion, getting stuck in, hoof-ball have no place in the modern game."

    "Hoof-ball" I agree with, but football would be sorely lacking if passion and getting stuck-in had no place in the game.

    As for the Allardyce sacking, probably as shocking as Hughton's last week. But you can argue that Pardew is a more experienced manager than Hughton, time will tell if that gamble pays off. At Blackburn though I can't see many managers out there who will be able, or more importantly be willing, to step in and be an improvement on Allardyce. A lot will depend on how deep those Indian pockets are come January...

  • Comment number 67.

    Also, leave Pulis alone. If it aint broke, why fix it? Teams like is get a reputation which then becomes impossible to shake off. We are not in the top 5 most fouls conceded, and what people forget is that TP took us from the brink of relegation in the championship to mid table respectability in the PL. Keep up the good work, I say.

  • Comment number 68.

    Rafa i'll b out of work soon.

  • Comment number 69.

    probably not accept it though as Big Sam was his best buddy.

  • Comment number 70.

    This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

  • Comment number 71.

    He did a great job for us.. HE had to sell £53 million worth of talent so the WALKER TRUST could get fatter than him.. Uncle Jack would never have done this to us..SAM stated I had to sell £53 MILLION worth of talent and was given £16 million.. Sadly the WALKER days are over but at least we have found someone to buy our debt riding club as we still owed £20 million to the walker trust..people are criticle but to pay £199 for a season ticket to watch the likes of Rooney Fabregas Drogba and others come to play and we out do them and play against you is better than going to Burnley on a winter night anyday..
    Being an Indian I dont think the move would have been done without thought good coaches are needed for cricket as well.. ask the Aussies lol..
    Sam was very good I did not want him to go and would still give him a chance but I do know he likes to wheel and deal and sometimes there is more money than meets the eye.. this is why Sam does not like the Kentro group..maybe the new owners knew his previous history..
    and yes he should be the ENGLAND manger he cant do worse than Cappelo and on a lower wage packet..
    THANKS SAM U DID A GREAT JOB WITHOUT BUYING ANY PLAYERS THIS SEASON.. will miss you(maybe not the style of football)but your football was effective..

  • Comment number 72.

    Bolton fan in peace.
    Sorry to see the big man go. He will always be a legend at Bolton and deserves better treatment than this. Maybe Sam will now call it a day and settle for the Sky pundit seat. He is a fine manager, maybe a bit to cocky these days, and his time has passed him by. If Gartside had backed him years ago, maybe he would have taken us on to greater things. As it is Sunday showed there are more ambitious and inspirational managers around.
    Trotterian

  • Comment number 73.

    Can't understand we they sacked him, he was their best customer.

  • Comment number 74.

    The decision like many is driven by demand and greed, some may call it ambition, but I'm sure time will show the real reason.

    Sam partly deserves what he got. His style and attitude sat poorly with most. I for one would never complain when my team was beaten by his, often his side deserved it. However whether it be in victory or defeat his delivery of his assessment was disingenuous to opponents one and all. frequently way out of line and never gracious enough when things went wrong

    I actually think his style of football is now on the wane and the number of clubs who will tolerate him has shrunk immeasurably.

    I think Sam will be out of work for some time

  • Comment number 75.

    I love the way when a manager gets sacked we always think we know better than the owners!

    Does the same thing happen in business journalism?

    Just one look across at local rivals Bolton and the job Owen Coyle has done in less than a year, should provide enough evidence of what a backwards thinking manager Allardyce is!

    All those articles criticising Capello for the brand of football England play, and yet we put Allardyce on a pedestal as some kind of genius football manager!

    What a joke!


    Coyle and Holloway has ridiculed the excuse that teams with low budgets have to play a certain way!

    Sam Allardyce's vision of football belongs in the'Dark Ages'.

    Football doesn't need him!

  • Comment number 76.

    I am sorry but you are comparing the wrong things.

    Its not about transfer spending with Allardyce. Its about wages. He gives players huge money on contracts. He does the same for himself and his coaches. He is on par with top 4 managers in salary. That is ridiculous looking the new breed like Martinez, Coyle, Dimatteo, Holloway and even Houghton.

    These managers actually coach to improve their players and still play attractive, winning football. Its sad that Sam Allardyce and Pulis have people convinced that you need to spend on huge on wages or play long ball to survive.

    Allardyce almost bankrupted Bolton.

  • Comment number 77.

    I'm sick and tired of everyone having a pop at the owners for doing what is their prerogative - getting their own man. Since when has top flight survival become the only motive of a Premier league club - is it too much to expect results AND also an acceptable style of football ? Look at Bolton - before Coyle took over, did we even believe Bolton could be so pleasing to watch? What is it with all this finger pointing at 'foreign' owners and their rash decisions? What about Ashley? How about Gold/Sulivan's treatment of Zola and subsequent appointment of the comical Grant?

    There is no right time to sack a manager and while many might have wanted Sam to last this season, one way of looking at it is that the owners probably believe Blackburn are safe this season so they intend to get a new manager in NOW, give him limited funds in January, get in a couple of his own players, impose his own footballing philosophy, settle down at the club and then make his mark over the summer with the right buys and start the next season challenging from Day 1. Makes a lot of sense...

    For a lot of the people here defending Sam, I'd love to hear from them if would be happy to take a 'proven' manager like him as their next national manager...

    Before a lot of the indignant commenters here shout at me, I've seen Bburn play 6 times this season on telly and it was 6 too many...

    Btw, # 30, the article might not be overtly xenophonbic but I'm getting sick and tired of this foreign owner bashing...

    # 31, The new owners are ambitious... they want the team to do better..allardyce was good enough to keep them at mid-table, they probably now want to do a Bolton...whats the harm with that?

    # 35, you, sir, are a joke !!

    # 37. Ellis Short had nothing to do with football but he's been a great for SFC...get a life mate !! wait for 6 months before you pass judgement...

    # 45, its people like you that give me hope that common sense still exists, though in very limited supply... thanks mate !!

  • Comment number 78.

    I've never been a fan of Sam Allardyce really. He's always looking to blame anyone other than his team, he thinks he's better than he is and I'm not entirely sure what possessed him to go wading into the Ferguson vs Benitez spat.

    That said, if you want a manager who can get a team organized, working as a team and be very comfortably safe in the Premiership, Allardyce is extremely good at that. The new owners are like any business outfit - want maximum return on their investment and want it sooner rather than later. As Alan Pardew said when he took the Newcastle job, "most managers think I'm nuts" A similar train thought may now be in place about Blackburn. Who is actually available to deliver what the owners want? I suspect no one however, since Mike Ashley clearly had Pardew lined up (if not guaranteed) before sacking Hughton, the Blackburn owners I think clearly have someone in mind (if not guaranteed) already.

    No one deserves to be treated like this. It makes me wonder what is the point of a contract in football anymore.

  • Comment number 79.

    His backroom staff consists of x amount of fitness guru's. Could he not get 1 of them to help him. Seen milk turn quicker.

  • Comment number 80.

    alladyce shouldn't be surprised that everyone scoffs at his incompetence , after all , scoffing is the only thing he's good at !!

  • Comment number 81.

    A few people have said it's fair to expect the board to bring in their own man. Okay let's say that's all okay. However it leaves the glaring question - why on earth would the board, less than a month ago, give him their full backing if they had no intention of sticking with him ? They knew the man they were getting and results were good so what changed between then and now ? If anybody can explain that one to me please crack on!

  • Comment number 82.

    No doubt Fergie will have something to say on the issue tomorrow,Him and Sam are like two peas in a pod and they were a great double act in the imaginary saga of Rafa's disrespectful handsignals etc.

    Jose and Pep must have been worried the moment the news of his sacking reached Spain.

  • Comment number 83.

    At least now Allardyce can sit at home and convince himself he will take over from Fergie when he retires. Or maybe replace Guardiola at Barca.

  • Comment number 84.

    The vote of confidence now means get ur P45.

  • Comment number 85.

    I DON'T UNDERSTAND PEOPLE WHO GO ON ABOUT ALLARDYCE AND THE STYLE OF FOOTBALL HIS TEAMS PLAY, NOT EVERY MANAGER HAS THE PLAYERS THAT A MOURINHO OR A GUARDIOLA HAS AT THERE DISPOSAL AND AS SUCH MUST TRY AND GET THE BEST RESULTS WITH WHAT HE HAS AND NO ONE CAN ARGUE WITH HIS RECORD. HE TURNED BOLTON INTO A PREMIER LEAGUE TEAM WITH LITTLE RESOURCES AND LOOKED TO BE DOING THE SAME AT BLACKBURN WHO VERY NEARLY COULD HAVE GOT RELEGATED BEFORE HE TOOK OVER. WHEN WILL OWNERS LEARN THAT IT IS STABILITY THAT A CLUB NEEDS TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND THAT IT TAKES TIME.

  • Comment number 86.

    alladyce is over the moon about this !

    not only will the new owners have to give him a barrow load of pie money , there is also a good chance that he'll be offered a new contract elsewhere soon enough !!

    abroad hopefully to rid us of his boring football !

  • Comment number 87.

    Quite ironic Phil that this is another sacking that does'nt make any sense whatsoever at the present time, you've got Avram Grant who is still managing a team that has been bottom all season and are very poor with little or no chance of avoiding the drop still in a job,is it because West Ham have got English owners and they can't afford to give him the boot? love or hate big Sam he did well with the resources he had at his disposal and he utilised them to the teams best advantage,Rovers supporters would do well to remember that the days of Jack Walkers spending are long gone and these small time new owners seem totally out of their depth only time will tell,there does seem to be a lot of interference from inside clubs by people who think they know better Man City,Newcastle and now Blackburn to name but 3,why don't they use their common sense and just keep to the business side of things,it really makes you wonder what the game is all about at times.

  • Comment number 88.

    Good, the man has no concept of man management skills. How the hell can you say he was a route to survival, his football was boring, repetative and crap.
    And yet according to him and his ego, he could be managing one of europes giants. Get Real !

  • Comment number 89.

    He did deserve better Phil. And CH too.

  • Comment number 90.

    I would'nt let him run a bath.

  • Comment number 91.

    "the media continually focus on their own chosen darlings, usually in London like dear ol' West 'Am and Tottenham (they're in the Champions League don't you know) Hotspur."

    Ha ha ha! Really? The media are usually more interested in Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea or (these days) Man City. Now, geography isn't my specialism, but I'm pretty sure only one of those are based in London....

  • Comment number 92.

    I DON'T UNDERSTAND PEOPLE WHO GO ON ABOUT ALLARDYCE AND THE STYLE OF FOOTBALL HIS TEAMS PLAY, NOT EVERY MANAGER HAS THE PLAYERS THAT A MOURINHO OR A GUARDIOLA HAS AT THERE DISPOSAL
    ------------------------------------------------------
    Yet Holloway, Di Matteo and Coyle have showed that teams with low spending power can still play entertaining football!

  • Comment number 93.

    #85 Maybe, but surely there's no need to shout.

  • Comment number 94.

    The best up & coming manager now is Paul Lambert.

  • Comment number 95.

    Burnley!!!

    Think about it!!

    Big Sam has managed every "B" team in Lancashire..........Blackpool, Bolton, Blackburn............the only one left is Burnley..........unless Bury come knocking.

    So that's where he'll go next; Turf Moor. Laws will get the heave ho and Big Sam will be in.

    'Ang on!! I've just 'ad a thought.

    Is "Bernabeu" in Lancashire??

  • Comment number 96.

    Sorry to sound a bit cynical, but I don't think 7-1 against Man Utd will have done him any favours. Still admit it's a bizarre decision, but it's the way football is atm
    After tonight's display I'm guessing Arsene Wenger is surely the next to go, his team only being in second and all, and should Man Utd come undone against by then managerless Chelsea after Anchelotti has been unceremoniously dumped midweek because his 5-a-side training team were beaten, the Mr Ferguson surely can't be expected to warm that seat at Old Trafford for much longer.

  • Comment number 97.

    Big Sam has managed every "B" team in Lancashire
    ---------------------------------------------------
    Yes and according to Sam he thinks he is good enough to manage another "B" team..........BRAZIL!

  • Comment number 98.

    Other than the 7-1 loss to Manchester United and a 4-2 loss to a very in form Spurs in Mid November, Blackburn's results were average and in my opinion not grounds for firing a manager, no matter whom.

    I agree with the posters on here who say football should be an entertainment first and a business second; however, these days it is very much the other way around as we all know. If this manager was fired for reportedly not being the right person to take the team where the owners want it, 'wider plans,' getting rid of him at this time in the season is ludicrous.

    As for his replacement, I believe it will be a foreigner; that is if they can convince some fancy foreigner to live and work in Blackburn. Good luck!!

  • Comment number 99.

    Sorry i missed that 1, could you play it again Sam.

  • Comment number 100.

    the owners comments are obviously lies, they simply didn't like his style of football and just power trolling, but similar to Newcastle's case, they fail to understand football properly and so make the seasons 2nd random, illogical dismissal.

    Bet Blackburn somehow win their next game too?

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