Big Sam was too clever for Newcastle United

[TheMoog 0]

Blackburn Rovers boss: I was too clever for Newcastle

 

11:10am Saturday 17th January 2009

By Andy Cryer »

 

 

SAM Allardyce has accused Newcastle United of destroying all his good work as he prepares to run the Geordie gauntlet for the first time since his turbulent eight-month tenure.

 

Just over a year on from being ignominiously turfed out by Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley, Allardyce has all eyes on his new rescue mission at Blackburn, which includes heaping further misery on his former employees.

 

Many describe Big Sam’s time on Tyneside as a failure, not least the Newcastle supporters, as his direct brand of football and forward thinking management techniques failed to hit the spot in the North East.

 

Look at the facts though and you will see why Allardyce himself has no regrets. Charged with bringing some semblance of stability back to a club continually embroiled in farce, he showed signs of doing just that.

 

Guiding them to their best start for a decade, Allardyce was slowly restoring some pride back into the once-great club but, a few dodgy results later, it was all-change once more at St James.

 

Kevin Keegan’s and Joe Kinnear’s regimes since have done little to quell the anxiety at Newcastle, as they continue to be troubled by relegation, with Allardyce boasting a better record than either of his predecessors.

 

Now, back in the game, the former Bolton boss is showing signs of inspiring a Rovers revival as he looks to prove his Newcastle nightmare was not all his own doing.

 

One of the biggest criticisms thrown at him was his appointment of a big backroom staff but, Allardyce has been quick to remind everyone he was at the start of what he thought was a work in progress.

 

He said: “We had a great staff at Newcastle. We got the best staff Newcastle have ever had behind them. There are only two left. That is Doc McGuinness and Jamie Murphy.

 

“They dismantled that squad for whatever reason but that staff was put in place in a six month period to start the process. The process was a long term job but that never materialised so I am gone and they are all gone.

 

“I can’t help it if they didn’t understand can I? It does not affect me because that is outside influences trying to put a negative spin around what is a necessity to be successful.

 

“If you had Newcastle spending great money on great players but not keeping them fit enough to produce the level of performance of a consistent basis that Newcastle needed.”

 

Allardyce has always built big backroom staffs behind him in his bid to ensure all angles were covered to get the best out of his squads.

 

Sport scientists, nutritionists and psychologists were all high up on his agenda at both Bolton and Newcastle and that has not changed as he embarks on his new Rovers adventure.

 

He said: “I think there is a big staff here. There is existing staff that are working very hard in all areas, which is good from my point of view.

 

“We have already got the pro zone stuff here. From my point of view as time goes by we just have to make it better than it is now, because I am a great believer in using information.

 

“I think the most important thing was to have Neil McDonald back, who I worked with at Bolton. Then get everyone working the way we want to work. In the end if they don’t want to work that way I would change them but of course if they do there would be no need to change it.”

 

His arrival quickly sparked rumours of whole-sale changes behind the scenes at Ewood but, while he admits a bit more ‘thinking outside the box’ would be useful’, he is content with what he has got.

 

“For me just bringing Neil McDonald in is enough,” he said. “If there were additions to be made, there would not need to be many anyway because it is already all in place.

 

“People like Mike Forde (sport psychologist at Bolton with Allardyce) are hard to find and there are not many Fordys around because me and Fordy between us made that position. I don’t see any club having it.

 

“I think if I wanted to move anywhere pretty quickly it would be on the sports psychologist side of things. I would have a little look at that but that would only be a slow introduction at this stage of the season.”

 

A 5,000 plus travelling army will leave Allardyce in no doubt about their views on his Newcastle United regime but, with Rovers looking to extend their four-match unbeaten run, Allardyce is ready to shrug his critics off.

 

He said: “If it was not me, it would have been the previous manager before him or the previous manager before him. It is an ongoing process. That is that and the way it was.

 

“No one was saying anything when we got off to the best start we have had in 10 years. Perhaps they were waiting and lingering, I don’t know.

 

“The bottom line is it was a disappointment, it has come and gone and you move on. Here I am at Blackburn Rovers and looking forward to the challenge I have got and enjoying the time I have had up to now.”

 

... it's never his fault is it

[peasepud 59]

you fat, greasy, bung taking, untrustful, chudchewing twat

 

Sam Allardyce claims the Toon Army drove him out of Newcastle because they could not grasp his modern methods.

 

Allardyce overhauled Newcastle's coaching structure in his ill-fated reign, bringing in nutritionists, fitness experts and sports psychologists.

 

But the Geordies never took to Big Sam with his earpieces, ice baths and two TV screens in the directors' box. He faces Newcastle at Ewood Park today for the first time since they sacked him a year ago and is sad they have undone his work.

 

"I can't help it if they can't understand," said the Blackburn boss. "These are the outside influences, which try and put a negative spin on what is a necessity to be successful. Newcastle spent money on great players, but didn't keep them fit enough to produce performances on a consistent basis that Newcastle needed.

 

"It was the best staff Newcastle have ever had behind the scenes. Now I've gone and they've all gone too."

 

 

Come rahnd ere wiv ya fancy Southern ways.

 

 

ps I preferred my title "Dear Sam, gladly go fuck yourself"

[Gemmill 35515]

Desperate to beat that fat shit today.

[peasepud 59]

Desperate to beat that fat shit today.

Im starting to see it like the makems, we need to beat him if only just to shut him up.

[snakehips 0]

His lack of any sort of credit to Blyth the other week was shameful.

 

Desperate to beat them today, but I'm afraid it's gonna be a 3 - 0 loss

[Kid Dynamite 6086]

He seems to forget our December run when we played some of the most horrific football ive ever paid to see.

[peasepud 59]

He seems to forget our December run when we played some of the most horrific football ive ever paid to see.

 

And then probably my worst decision ever, wander to Stoke on a cold Sunday evening. Hideous, hideous game in a horrible rotten shithole of a place only to have him come out and say he was well pleased with the result.

 

 

Fast forward a year and the horrible rotten shithole became the second worst shithole in the country, Hull. Same result same bollocks given by a manager.

[Fop 1]

as his direct brand of football and forward thinking management techniques failed to hit the spot in the North East.

 

Hoofball and playing wingers on opposite wings. Tactical genius (as Derby know only to well).

[Guest alex]

Massive ego but he's just a bit on a con man imo. He'll probably do an ok job at Blackburn though. I hope he doesn't because it'll be detrimental to us and he's a proper prick.

[Kid Dynamite 6086]

If I was a blackburn fan Id be severely pissed off with his media blanket the last couple of days of 'Sam Allardyce always wants to beat his ex clubs, I want to beat newcastle, I want to beat Bolton blah blah blah.'

 

He seems to forget theres a team of players and a city of fans involved too, hes on the Big Sam trip at the minute!

[The Fish 9234]

I just don't see how he can justify the statements he makes. At no point were we in a better position (not league position) than before he took over. I'll be the first to admit I had high hope for Sam and do think that a couple of results would have put a different spin on things. But the facts are we were conceding too many, we had a similar number of people in the physio room and we were offering nothing as an attacking force.

[Guest alex]

Pretty poor signings overall as well. Tbf though I thought he'd sorted out the fitness problems a bit. Whether that was luck or good management though...

[Asprilla 96]

He's a cunt.

[Fop 1]

I just don't see how he can justify the statements he makes. At no point were we in a better position (not league position) than before he took over. I'll be the first to admit I had high hope for Sam and do think that a couple of results would have put a different spin on things. But the facts are we were conceding too many, we had a similar number of people in the physio room and we were offering nothing as an attacking force.

 

I had a lot of hope for him, not so much on the pitch, but certainly off/around the pitch....... but nothing really seemed to materialise, even fitness-wise Keegan worked on that and complained about it an awful lot when he stepped in.