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Sam Allardyce, sometimes affectionately known as "Big Sam", was born in Dudley, West Midlands, England on October 19 1954 and is a former professional footballer and the current manager of Bolton Wanderers F.C. of the English Premier League.
Early Life and playing career
He grew up on Dudley's Wren's Nest estate and was educated at Sycamore Green Primary School and later at Wren's Nest Secondary School. He is best remembered as a player for being part of the Bolton Wanderers side which won the Second Division title in 1978 and secured promotion to the First Division. He also played for Sunderland.
Misery at the Hawthorns
After retiring as a player, Allardyce was named as assistant manager to Brian Talbot at West Bromwich Albion in February 1989 - ironic as he was a Wolverhampton Wanderers supporter, one of Albion's deadliest rivals. His spell at the Hawthorns lasted just two years before he and Talbot were sacked as the club slid towards the Second Division trap door for the first time.
Success at Limerick
He took up the role of player/manager of Limerick and guided the League of Ireland team to promotion by topping the first division with a number of points to spare in 91/92 in his only season at the club.
Disappointment with the Seasiders
Allardyce also managed Blackpool but was later sacked as he failed to guide them to Division One after leading the league all season. Blackpool finished 3rd, missing out on promotion on the last day of the season. Blackpool were later beaten in the Play-Off semi-finals to Bradford after winning 2-0 at home, only to lose 3-0 in the reverse leg. Alladyce was sacked that summer.
Managing the Magpies
In January 1997, Sam Allardyce made his return to football as manager of Division Two basement club Notts County. He arrived too late to save them from relegation, but they won promotion at the first attempt by finishing top of Division Three at the end of the 1997-98 season. Notts County broke several club and national records, winning the title by 19 points and becoming the first post-war side to win promotion by mid-March.
Rising to the Reebok
He remained in charge at Meadow Lane until September 1999 when he returned to Bolton Wanderers in Division One and became their new manager.
Cup runs and playoff triumph
Bolton lost to Ipswich Town in the 1999-2000 Division One playoffs, but had an eventful run to the FA Cup semi-finals. They went one better in 2000-01 by reaching the playoff final where they beat Preston North End 3-0 to achieve promotion to the Premiership after a three-year absence.
Relegation dog fighters
Bolton went top of the Premiership after gaining ten points from the first four games of the 2001-02 campaign and Sam Allardyce was even hopeful that the club could challenge for their first-ever league title. However, the Bolton squad was not strong enough to mount anything like a serious challenge and their safety was not ensured until the penultimate game of the season. In 2002-03 they avoided relegation by just two points and one place.
Cup run and Europe... at last!
2003-04 saw Sam Allardyce and his squad firmly establish Bolton as a Premiership club. They finished eighth in the final table and reached the Carling Cup final, losing 2-1 to Middlesbrough who had never won a major trophy before. 2004-05 saw Sam Allardyce and Bolton finish 6th in The Barclay's Premiership, claiming their place in the next season's UEFA Cup, equal on points with 2005's UEFA Champions League victors Liverpool. In the early months of 2005-06, Allardyce once again took Bolton into the top half of the Premiership and also steered them into the knockout rounds of the UEFA Cup.
In early 2006 it was agreed that Sven Goran Eriksson would leave the England manager's job after the 2006 World Cup, and as a successful manager of English birth, Allardyce was one of the most discussed candidates for the post. Bolton confirmed that they would let him talk to the F.A. if they approached him. However he was never offered the job which was eventually given to Steve McClaren.
He writes a regular column for Four Four Two magazine, on amateur football management, coaching or tactics.
External links
- Sam Allardyce managerial statistics at soccerbase.com
| Preceded byBilly Ayre | Blackpool F.C. manager 1994-1996 |
Succeeded byGary Megson |
| Preceded byColin Murphy | Notts County F.C. manager 1997-1999 |
Succeeded byJocky Scott |
| Preceded byColin Todd | Bolton Wanderers F.C. manager 1999-Present |
Succeeded byIncumbent |