Crystal Palace wasted little time in appointing Alan Pardew’s successor, with Sam Allardyce appointed the new first team manager on a two-and-a-half-year contract within 36 hours of Pardew’s sacking.
The Eagles are currently sat in 17th position in the table, one point above the relegation zone, having lost eight of their last 10 matches.
Speaking to the club’s official website, “Big Sam” revealed it was Palace’s ambition, along with the quality of players at the club, that convinced him to take the job:
“The club seems to be very ambitious, certainly the chairman and the owners, they want to take the club in the right direction. I like the look of the squad, and that’s probably the reason that I’m here: I feel the club can go forward from here and I hope I can help it go forward.”
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 Bromwich 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.
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 Wanderers – 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 United 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 Rovers 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 relegated West Ham United 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 about his side’s style of football ultimately led West Ham to decide against renewing his contract in May 2015.
In October last year, Big Sam was appointed as the new Sunderland manager, with the club sat in 19th place after eight matches.
But Allardyce was able to guide the Black Cats to safety, eventually finishing in 17th position with 39 points.
In July, Big Sam took over from Roy Hodgson as England manager and managed a 1-0 win over Slovakia in his first match in charge.
But his reign as England boss came to an abrupt end in September by mutual agreement with the Football Association following a newspaper sting.
The Prospects
Allardyce takes over a side that has had little trouble scoring goals, managing 28 from 17 matches played so far, more than Manchester United (24), and just one less than fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
But it’s at the other end of the pitch where there has been a glaring weakness, with the Eagles having conceded 32 goals – only Swansea City (37) and Hull City (36) have let in more, while they have kept just one clean sheet.
It’s clear where Allardyce will need to focus his energy during the first few weeks of his reign at Selhurst Park, then, and it’s something he’s been quick to point out:
“I’ve got a very important job in stopping the goals going in at the other end first… When we’re not in possession, we’ve just got to stop conceding goals and make sure that those goals we score win us games now. It sounds simple, but it’s not that easy, and that’s what we’ve got to try and turn around.”
Allardyce will be reacquainted with James Tomkins, having worked with the defender at West Ham, while the likes of Scott Dann, Damien Delaney and Joel Ward all boast plenty of Premier League experience.
Last season, Allardyce took over a Sunderland side that had failed to keep a clean sheet in their first eight matches, and then went on to amass a vital seven shut-outs over the final 30 matches.
There’s every expectation that he may be able to pull off a similar transformation at Palace, then, with reinforcements also expected in the January transfer window.
Last year, Allardyce brought the likes of Lamine Kone, Jan Kirchhoff and Wahbi Khazri to the Stadium of Light to provide some extra steel and quality, and the trio played a major part in the Black Cats’ upturn in form.
Kone would surely be a player that Allardyce would love to bring to Selhurst Park and already there are stories linking the Ivorian defender to the club via a £15 million bid.
Allardyce has already spoken of the need to add some strength in depth to his squad, although he has yet to reveal which positions he will target:
“We’re certainly trying to recruit and make the squad a little bit bigger with a little bit more strength in depth would obviously be a key area for me. The players who are here are good enough but also if we can add to that then let’s try and do it.”
A left-back is likley to be high on Allardyce’s wishlist, with Pape Souare set to miss the rest of the season, while Martin Kelly and Zeki Fryers have both struggled to claim the role so far this season.
Midfield reinforcements could also be on the agenda, with a natural holding player perhaps required to compete with Joe Ledley for a starting berth, which would allow Yohan Cabaye and James McArthur to operate further up the pitch, playing to their strengths.
From a Fantasy perspective, Big Sam’s appointment should enhance the prospects of all members of the Palace backline, then, with Dann likely to be the key target given his goal threat from set-pieces. the likes of Delaney and Kelly could also provide some value if they command regular starting berths.
Tactically, we may not see a huge change under Allardyce, although Pardew’s fondness for the 4-2-3-1 may well be replaced with slightly more pragmatic 4-3-3 and 4-5-1 systems, depending on the quality of the opposition.
Allardyce has at times experimented with a three-man defence and wing-backs, but unless he brings in some players who are suited to playing int those roles in January, it seems likely to avoid that route.
Allardyce may not have to alter too much at the other end of the pitch, though, given that he likes his sides to play with width and throw crosses into the box, preferably to a big target man.
Wilfried Zaha and Andros Townsend, along with Jason Puncheon, already provide great options in the wide positions, while Christian Benteke appears the perfect centre-forward for an Allardyce team, in a similar mould to Kevin Davies and Andy Carroll.
As this report highlights, Palace already appear “ready made” to replicate Big Sam’s West Ham side from 2014/15, so we may well see the goals continue to flow for the Eagles.
Allardyce will take charge for tomorrow’s clash at Vicarage Road, while Palace also face a trip to the Emirates on New Year’s day, before a key home encounter against Swansea City.
That’s a match Big Sam will place huge significance on, so we could see him rest key players for the trip to Arsenal, with Palace perhaps likely to sit deep and counter against the Gunners.
From Gameweek 20 onwards, Palace’s schedule (SWA, whm, EVE, bou, SUN, sto, MID, wba) is hugely favourable all the way up to Gameweek 27, so, should we see an immediate improvement over the festive period, Eagles assets look destined to return to the radar for early 2017.
It will be interesting to see whether Allardyce will have any ability to influence Zaha’s decision to pledge his international allegiance to the Ivory Coast, with the winger in line to miss at least two matches in January should he take part in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Zaha has been a shining light for Palace this season, scoring three goals and registering eight assists, and has shown the consistency which has all too often been lacking in his game.
Given his track record, there’s every likelihood that Allardyce will be able to improve Palace’s fortunes and ease any relegation fears, and provide us with a number of viable mid-price and budget options.
The festive period should offer us plenty of insight into how he looks to set about his task at Selhurst Park, and with the fixture list so kind in early 2017, it may not be long before the likes of Dann and Benteke re-emerge as priorities for our 15-man squads.
