Since leaving West Ham United by ‘mutual consent’ at the end of last season, Big Sam has been taking a break from football.

Although let’s be honest, if Man United came calling at the end of last season he would probably put his family holiday on hold. So he’s on the managerial jobseekers list, and there are many clubs who would love to have him.

Allardyce has been underappreciated in management despite his enormous success. Most Premier League supporters would be underwhelmed if their club appointed him, although it’s hard to work out why.

Allardyce, like many top British managers, worked his way up through the lower leagues of English football. I should also point out that Big Sam had a successful spell with Limerick in Ireland, as well.

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However, Allardyce rose to mainstream managerial prominence with Bolton Wanderers, after guiding them to Premier League promotion. Before propelling Bolton towards the higher echelons of the Premier League table, Allardyce had to stave off relegation for a few years, sometimes by only a few points.

In this day and age many managers would be sacked before given the chance Allardyce had to build on Bolton’s fragile Premier League status. Although looking back, The Trotters must be glad they stuck by their man, given the success the club enjoyed during Allardyce’s tenure. Had they parted company then I am sure Bolton would have been relegated far sooner than they were.

It is the assumption of many football fans that Big Sam plays ugly football, and that his success as a manger has been reliant on tactics averse to the beautiful game. This is absolute codswallop. Why on Earth would players as talented as Jay Jay Okocha, Fernando Hierro and Youri Djorkaeff play for a manager who has the managerial capabilities of a Sunday league dad? When these world-class talents signed for Bolton, they wanted to sign for Big Sam and his footballing philosophy.

Many sexier managers have tried, although Allardyce proves that the old school is the best school. No one understands the Premier League like Allardyce, and his snubbing of the England job in 2006 was surely a result of the unfortunate stigma that he has been unfairly burdened with.

I firmly believe that the FA and the Premier League have an agenda against Sam Allardyce, because he isn’t marketable enough in a league that has become more of a brand than a footballing competition.

Even his record with West Ham was near remarkable, considering the state of the club when he inherited it in the Championship. Though I think Allardyce is better than a Premier League handyman, who does the dirty work no one else wants to do.

I hope that Allardyce does return to Premier League football and is allowed a long run at a top club. David Moyes was appointed Man United manager, despite possessing the same credentials as Allardyce, so let’s hope that when the next big job comes around, Big Sam will be in pole position.

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