Moving Target – Sam Allardyce

After Dick Advocaat decided to step down as the Sunderland manager in the wake of the 2-2 draw against West Ham, the Black Cats moved swiftly to bring in former Hammers boss Sam Allardyce. The experienced 60-year-old penned a two-year contract at the Stadium of Light, and takes over with his new side lying 19th in the table, having earned just three points from their first eight matches.

Speaking to the club’s official website, Big Sam was clearly thrilled to be back on Wearside, having previously spent one season with the Black Cats as a player:

“I have enjoyed my break from football and now I’m raring to get back. I met with Ellis (Short) and we spoke at length about the club and his ambitions and I knew I wanted to be part of that. I hope to be able to help to bring the stability and success that everyone wants. Of course it’s a challenging job, but it’s something I have experience of in the past. I’m looking forward to working with the players and of course I will be relying on the help of the Sunderland supporters, whose tremendous passion I have experienced first-hand. I can’t wait to get started.”

THE HISTORY

With his playing career coming to an end, Allardyce took his first steps on the coaching ladder as an assistant manager at West Brom between 1989 and 1991. Then, after short spells as player-manager at Limerick and as caretaker boss at Preston North End, Big Sam took up his first permanent managerial role at Blackpool in 1994. While he guided the Seasiders to a third-place finish in the old Second Division in the 1995/96 season, Allardyce was relieved of his duties at the end of the campaign after losing in the play-off semi-finals.

The next stop in Big Sam’s managerial career saw him take the reins at Notts County in January 1997. While he couldn’t save them from relegation to Division Three, he gained promotion in his first full season in charge, winning the league by a 19-point margin. That triumph persuaded Bolton – a team where Allardyce spent over eight years as a player – to make a move for his services in October 1999. His eight-year spell with the Trotters was hugely successful, starting with promotion in 2001 to the Premier League after a 3-0 victory over Preston in the play-off final. He then guided the Trotters to four consecutive top 10 finishes between 2004 and 2007, including a sixth-place finish in the 2004/05 season.

That success led to Newcastle appointing Big Sam as their new manager in May 2007. After a disappointing start to the 2007/08 campaign, he was sacked in January 2008. Allardyce’s reputation wasn’t overly affected by that failure, though, and his three-year spell at Blackburn was also fairly successful, with a tenth-place finish in his only full season in charge in 2009/10. He was somewhat surprisingly sacked in December 2010 with Rovers sitting thirteenth in the table, but it wasn’t long before he found himself back in work, with the-then recently-relegated West Ham appointing Allardyce on a two-year deal. He immediately guided the Hammers to promotion after a tense 2-1 win against Blackpool in the play-off final. Allardyce’s time at Upton Park was pretty successful, with three comfortable mid-table finishes, although complaints over his side’s style of football ultimately led West Ham to decide against renewing his contract in May.

THE PREVIOUS REGIME

With Sunderland deep in the relegation mire, Advocaat took charge at the Stadium of Light towards the end of last season after the club parted company with Gus Poyet. The Dutchman helped to shore things up at the back, and victories against Newcastle, Southampton and Everton, along with a point at Arsenal, helped secure survival. The former Rangers boss was only in charge on a temporary basis, and initially left the club at the end of the campaign, before reversing his decision by signing a one-year deal at the start of June.

While Advocaat made some big summer signings in Jeremain Lens, Fabio Borini and Yann M’Vila, the Dutchman remained uncertain over his best formation. Advocaat tended to prefer a 4-3-3 set-up but flirted with 4-4-2 and 4-2-3-1 systems, whilst Jermain Defoe was shifted onto the flank before warming the bench in the last couple of matches. Meanwhile, the defence which he had improved significantly at the end of last season has been anything but watertight this term, conceding a league-high 18 goals.

The landscape at Sunderland for the last few years has been of managers (Advocaat, Poyet, Paolo di Canio) coming in and having a big impact initially, helping to stave of relegation, only to start the next season poorly and be shown the door. With little continuity, however, the playing squad has been in a constant state of flux, and the Wearsiders will be hoping that Allardyce’s arrival will bring a much-needed stability to the club after years of battling to beat the drop.

THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON

Encouragingly for Sunderland, their new manager has never been relegated from the Premier League, and with the resources at his disposal certainly bigger than at Bolton and Blackburn, the Wearsiders have reason for optimism.

In terms of tactics, Allardyce has mainly preferred a somewhat cautious 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-1-1 system, hitting long balls to a target man, looking for knock downs and playing the percentages. It’s worth noting that his decision to utilise a midfield diamond for the Hammers last year, particularly in the early parts of the campaign, helped reignite Stewart Downing’s career.

Certainly, Allardyce sides have tended to be built on strong foundations, so expect the former West Ham boss to improve Sunderland’s dismal defensive record so far. During yesterday’s press conference, Allardyce was quick to acknowledge that his side’s frailties at the back need to be immediately addressed:

“There is obviously one thing I need to put right as quickly as possible, and that is not conceding 18 goals in the next eight games. That’s obviously something we need to address immediately. We need to make sure as a team we become more resilient. In the last game, to be 2-0 up at home to West Ham and still not achieve a result is something that is very disappointing. That would have been the first win and it would have given us an extra two points. After a good performance (in the first half), the frailties cropped up again. I have to try to sort that out and make sure the next time we go 2-0 up, we get the three points.”

Assessing the Black Cats’ squad, Costel Pantilimon was one of the standout stoppers in 2014/15 and, having dropped to 4.8, the big Romanian could be one of the main beneficiaries from the change of manager. Central defensive quartet Younes Kaboul, Sebastian Coates, John O’Shea and Wes Brown all come in under 4.5 in FPL, as do the likes of DeAndre Yedlin and Billy Jones, though bearing in mind that no Sunderland defender has earned more than seven points in FPL so far, we’ll be looking for signs of a major improvement here before considering. History shows that Big Sam has built some of his old teams around experienced centre-backs such as Ryan Nelson and Winston Reid, suggesting O’Shea’s know-how could be crucial.

Allardyce is known for is embracing flair players, ranging from Jay-Jay Okocha at Bolton to Benni McCarthy at Blackburn. There’s no doubt there is some attacking talent on the books at Sunderland, with Lens the stand-out individual. The Dutch international has quickly settled in the Premier League despite the struggles of the team, scoring twice and grabbing three assists – put into perspective, he’s played a part in five of their eight goals so far. With Adam Johnson and Ola Toivonen also offering plenty of creativity, the new manager certainly has options at his disposal. Another player who could rise to prominence under Big Sam is Sebastian Larsson. The 5.2-priced Sweden international has only made two starts so far this season, but his crossing and set-piece delivery are two assets which are sure to be valued by his new boss.

Up top, Allardyce tends to opt for target men with strong aerial abilities, with Kevin Davies and Andy Carroll obvious examples at Bolton and West Ham. Of the squad he inherits at Sunderland, Steven Fletcher looks the most suited to this role. The former Wolves striker is also in great form, having scored in his last outing for the Black Cats, while he netted a hat-trick for Scotland in their 6-0 win against Gibraltar. Fletcher’s poor fitness record could afford Fabio Borini the chance to lead the lead should Allardyce decide against fielding the Italian on the flank, though it remains to be seen where the diminutive Defoe will fit in if the Black Cats continue with a lone striker system. Available at just 5.0 in FPL, Fletcher could well emerge as a great budget option, providing he can stay away from the treatment table.

The new manager took time out to discuss all three strikers during yesterday’s official unveiling:

“Assessing the squad here is the most important thing I have to do. There’s a lot of Premier League experience here, can I help the players apply that Premier League experience as a team? Can I guide them in a better way to make sure that helps the other players who have come in, who don’t have as much experience of the Premier League? We seem to have goals in the camp – Steven Fletcher seems to be scoring quite regularly. And Jermain Defoe can score as well. We have Fabio Borini to consider, and hopefully we can score a few goals off set plays too. If we can keep that going, and sort out the defensive side, then we should be okay.”

The upcoming fixture list (wba, NEW, eve, SOT, cpl, STO) certainly looks to offer up some winnable matches for Sunderland. West Brom have yet to triumph at home so far this season, while Newcastle are still searching for their first win of the campaign. Picking up the confidence of his players will, along with instilling some organisation, will be Big Sam’s priorities in the short-term, and with his track record as a Premier League manager, history suggests he has enough time left this season to guide the Black Cats away from trouble.