Sam Allardyce is back in the Premier League after answering an SOS call from West Brom following the club’s sacking of Slaven Bilic. A rescue specialist who has managed seven other top-flight clubs without being relegated, Allardyce has been parachuted into the Hawthorns on an 18-month contract and with the mission to lead Albion to safety.
After 13 matches West Brom are 19th, their sole league win of the season coming against the only team beneath them, Sheffield United. The club indicated that Allardyce’s experience of helping teams to survive was a key reason for hiring him. Allardyce will take his first training session on Thursday with his longtime assistant Sammy Lee.
West Brom’s sporting and technical director, Luke Dowling, told the club’s website: “In Sam we have a man who has a proven Premier League pedigree with a track record of improving every club he has managed. We believe and, more importantly, Sam believes we have a group of players that have the quality needed to give the club its best chance of Premier League survival.”
West Brom had earlier confirmed the decision to dismiss Bilic in a curt statement. “West Bromwich Albion have today parted company with head coach Slaven Bilic. Assistant coaches, Dean Racunica and Danilo Butorovic, and first-team coach Julian Dicks have also left the club with immediate effect.
“The Baggies are currently 19th in the Premier League table with seven points from 13 fixtures. Albion would like to thank Slaven and his coaching staff for their efforts in achieving promotion last season and wishes them all well in the future.”
The timing of the decision is surprising insofar as it came after a commendable 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Tuesday, during which West Brom showed defensive qualities they had lacked for much of the season. However, the board evidently decided improvement was unlikely to last under Bilic, whose relationship with senior figures in the club’s hierarchy has been strained for several months.
The situation has been clouded by uncertainty regarding the club’s owner, Lai Guochuan, who has been reported to be keen to reduce or even end his involvement.
Bilic was given relatively few transfer funds after winning promotion, with an initial £20m spent on squad reinforcements in preparation for a Premier League campaign that was always likely to be a battle against relegation. The manager made his unhappiness known in October when the centre-back Ahmed Hegazi was sold against his wishes and contrary to assurances he said he had been given. Two recruits for whom Bilic had lobbied hard, Branislav Ivanovic and Karlan Grant, have yet to prove their worth.
The fact that the club said, as part of their announcement of Allardyce’s appointment, that “Sam believes we have a group of players that have the quality needed to give the club its best chance of Premier League survival” suggests Albion do not intend to spend heavily in January and are counting on Allardyce getting more out of their players than Bilic has been able to.
Allardyce started his coaching career at West Brom under Brian Talbot in 1989 and has managed Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Everton in the Premier League. He also had a brief spell in charge of England in 2016.
