When Everton hired Sam Allardyce as their relegation firefighter, there weren’t any real fires to put out. However, almost five years after his dismissal, Allardyce could play a pivotal role in whether the Blues drop out of English football’s top flight, suggests the LiverpoolEcho.
Leeds United’s decision to replace Javi Gracia – who only came in as Jesse Marsch’s successor in February – with Allardyce appears to be a desperate move, but such risks can still pay off. Gracia won three of his 11 Premier League matches, which is the same number of victories that Everton’s Sean Dyche has secured in 14 games so far. This is a stark warning to Dyche, whose team is a point below Leeds and in the relegation zone, about the stakes involved.
Tottenham Hotspur has already dismissed their interim head coach Cristian Stellini after just four games this season. The double disposal of bosses in the same season is not an unfamiliar concept. Last year, there were even reports that Farhad Moshiri was considering firing Frank Lampard just a couple of months into his tenure as Everton manager before a 1-0 victory over Manchester United on April 9th eased the pressure.
Dyche understands the lack of sentimentality in his profession because he was dismissed from Burnley after almost ten years as manager. Unlike the Spaniard who had a short-lived reign at Elland Road, which will be remembered for all the wrong reasons, Dyche was considered a folk hero in Burnley after leading the team to seventh place in 2018, their highest league finish in decades.
This achievement earned him the honor of having a local pub named after him. However, he was eventually cast aside and replaced by Mike Jackson, who had only limited experience. Despite this, Burnley saw an initial improvement under Jackson’s management. The article suggests that the logic behind Leeds’ interest in Allardyce is that, if someone like Jackson can have a short-term impact, a seasoned campaigner like Allardyce might be worth considering, even though he lost his guarantee of survival by failing to save West Bromwich Albion in 2021.
Although Allardyce is 68, he is still younger than Roy Hodgson, who came out of retirement at age 76 to manage Crystal Palace. Everton fans do not hold Allardyce in high regard after a short and unremarkable stint as their manager. Nonetheless, if Allardyce could keep Leeds up, it would give him the last laugh and some satisfaction.