Harry Diamond
West Bromwich Albion became the first Premier League side to push the panic button by sacking Slaven Bilic today, dismissing the under-fire manager despite last night’s spirited 1-1 draw at Manchester City.
In almost inevitable fashion there is one name right at the forefront of their succession plans, the Premier League‘s most famous firefighter seemingly set for a return to management in the Midlands.
Sam Allardyce may never be the most fashionable figure and stands as an antithesis to free-flowing football, but he knows how to organise his troops and there are few better equipped to cope with the pressures of a relegation dogfight.
As always, the wonderful world of Twitter was on hand to react to Big Sam’s imminent return:
Have #WestBrom sounded the #BigSam alarm? 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9UHf9A6RkG
— Matt Makowski (@MMski23) December 16, 2020
English football is currently home to some of football’s finest minds at present with the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Jose Mourinho all in charge of Premier League clubs, but why complicate matters when it comes to getting results.
Score first, keep a clean sheet. The simplest of survival blueprints.
When Sam Allardyce revealed his blueprint for surviving in the Premier League on Monday Night Football 📈 pic.twitter.com/GXuO2d9nY1
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) December 16, 2020
The peak of Allardyce’s career in the Premier League often saw both he and his side ruffle more than a few feathers amongst the division’s big boys, will West Brom become the new nightmare prospect for the league’s leading sides?
Big Sam had a rivalry with almost every Premier League manager 🤣 pic.twitter.com/OOftthGgoF
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) September 24, 2020
Big Sam’s marmite management may make him a divisive figure, but the old-fashioned lump at least knows what he stands for.
Certainly none of this pathetic play-acting from foreign fancy-dans.
Hearing Big Sam's laugh makes this moment a million times better. pic.twitter.com/FokgSEcuw9
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) May 18, 2020
It’s the inevitability of Allardyce’s return that has most struck football fans everywhere, however, the Premier League’s most notorious firefighter the go-to guy when the going gets tough.
Find someone who looks at you like struggling Premier League sides look at Sam Allardyce
— Jon Mackenzie (@Jon_Mackenzie) December 16, 2020
Sam Allardyce by the phone in November/December waiting for the first team to panic and call him https://t.co/WEtFkXXqvj pic.twitter.com/cpvll8ZtQu
— Out of Context Football Manager (@nocontextfm1) December 16, 2020
Sam Allardyce when he sees a club in the bottom three sack their manager. pic.twitter.com/mHnW2eRZ2S
— Nick Burt (@nickburt13) December 16, 2020
West Brom ringing Big Sam #WestBrom #Bilic pic.twitter.com/We749ocr2P
— RB. (@randallbell) December 16, 2020
Whilst the arrival of Allardyce looks set to see West Brom become the latest struggling club to achieve a unique hat-trick…
If West Brom hire Sam Allardyce, it means that they become another Premier League club to have completed the Holy Trinity of relegation fodder managers… pic.twitter.com/qTW3YohpJY
— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) December 16, 2020
West Brom may be gearing up for some wholly unpleasant and uncompromising football, but at least there is hope at The Hawthorns with smooth-moving Sam soon to be in charge.
Big Sam when we shithouse some 1-0’s and finish 17th on final day of the season #wba pic.twitter.com/TdTg4gn2MG
— Luke Millichamp (@luke_millichamp) December 16, 2020
Whilst at the end of an unprecedented and unpredictable year of events, we should perhaps be grateful for at least some normality in all of our lives.
You can always tell its December when Mariah Carey, Michael Buble and Sam Allardyce come out of their caves #BigSam
— Paul H (@Chopper1683) December 16, 2020
Only three things are certain in life: –
1. Death
2. Taxes
3. Big Sam drafted in at Christmas to save struggling Premier League teams— leah (@leahwalx) December 16, 2020
Read – 20 of Big Sam’s greatest ever quotes
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