He may have had trouble managing his words in front of any undercover reporter, but there’s no doubting Sam Allardyce’s ability to command 11 men on a football pitch. Yes, he may not inspire the most flamboyant style of football you’ve ever seen, but if there’s one thing Big Sam can do and that’s grind out results.
An old school manager that’s not afraid to take a tough line with his players, Allardyce knows how to dig in when it counts. However, he’ll have to dig in like never before if he’s going to lift Crystal Palace out of the danger zone and towards Premier League safety. Sitting in 18th place on just 16 points after 22 games, Palace are, for all intents and purposes, in trouble. In fact, 41 against and 30 scored has resulted in a Premier League record of four wins, four draws and 14 losses in 22.
Stats Not Stacking Up for Palace
To make matters worse, the odds don’t appear to be on the London club’s side either. Looking at the latest Premier League betting options at Sun Bets, Big Sam’s men are fourth favourites to get relegated at 6/4. Although not quite as dire as Hull City (1/5), Sunderland (1/5) and 11/10 (Swansea), Allardyce has got his work cut-out if he’s going to turn things around.
Now, if there’s one reason for Allardyce to knuckle down in his new role, it’s the fact Palace have reportedly promised him a £4 million bonus if he keeps the club in the Premier League. With his not-so-off-the-record chat with a Daily Telegraph reporter showing that he’s partial to a financial incentive, this eye-watering bonus could be enough to inspire Allardyce to greatness.
Of course, it’s not all about money in the Premier League. With wins hard to come by, it takes a special sort of manager to bring a club back from the brink of destruction. Fortunately, Allardyce has been there before. During the 2015/2016 season, Allardyce had just six months to save Sunderland and that’s just what he did. After 31 games, the Dudley managed to turn a winless side into partial winners.
Allardyce has a way with Numbers
Looking closely at the stats, Allardyce was in charge of Sunderland for 31 games and achieved nine wins, nine draws and 13 losses. Now, when you consider that record in context of the season as a whole, the 13 losses isn’t that inspiring. In fact, by the close of the 2015/2016 season, Sunderland had lost a total of 17 matches.
However, where Big Sam really made the difference was in the win column. Before he took charge the club was without a win. But, by the time he’d inspired the likes of Jermaine Defoe to roll back the years, the club took all three points from nine separate games. Among those wins was a 3-2 pressure win over Chelsea, which helped set up a run of 11 points from 18 to secure a place in the Premier League with a game to spare.
Yes, Sunderland still had some issues at the back and certainly looked vulnerable, but Allardyce had forced his players to fight back. Under Dick Advocaat, Sunderland were liable to roll over when things got tough. However, with Big Sam barking orders from the touchline, there was none of that. Games that looked as they there were dead in the water began to turn into wins.
Confidence and Wins are Crucial for Crystal Palace
Was it pretty? Not really. Was it a display of heart and confidence? Most certainly. Now, even before Allardyce took charge, Palace have shown they can win and, importantly, score goals. A goal difference of -11 after 22 games is the best in the bottom four and Allardyce knows this. In fact, with Chinese clubs eyeing up Christian Benteke, Allardyce has assured fans that one of the team’s key players isn’t going anywhere.
Yes, the allure of a possible £30 million might be enough to sway some managers to sell a strong player, but Allardyce knows that attack is the best form of defence when you’re fighting relegation. Just as he did with Defoe at Sunderland, Allardyce will be pushing to get the best out of Benteke. If he can do that and Palace can continue to score one more than their opponents (regardless of how many they concede), then there’s a strong chance Big Sam will perform another Premier League miracle this season.
