The England job is up for grabs with Roy Hodgson stepping down after the Three Lions’ woeful Round of 16 exit to Iceland in the European Championships. Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly favours Sam Allardyce to be appointed as the next England head coach.
England crashed out of a major competition once again, and manager Roy Hodgson announced after their Round of 16 loss to Iceland that he would be stepping down as national manager. The FA is now on the lookout for a new manager, with few eager to take up the high-pressure job that has seen no glory in the past couple of decades. The last time England made a semi-final appearance in a major tournament was in the 1996 European Championships.
England’s U-21 coach Gareth Southagate was touted to take the reins from Hodgson but he declined any interest in the position. The likes of Alan Pardew and Arsene Wenger are now being linked with the job. However one of the most successful managers in England, Sir Alex Ferguson, is ready to put forward his candidate for the job.
According to the Sun, the former Manchester United manager, who has considerable influence with the FA, is backing current Sunderland chief Sam Allardyce to become the next England manager.
Allardyce is a Premier League veteran, having managed the likes of Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Sunderland. Big Sam has been praised for his organizational skills and his penchant for saving relegation threatened teams and helping League One teams get promoted. He helped West Ham United achieve promotion in 2012, and Sunderland narrowly escape relegation last season.
The 61-year-old has come under some criticism throughout his career though. Many have labelled his tactics as ugly, claiming that he relies on long balls and not passing-play but Allardyce has refuted those claims. It would be a phenomenal step-up in his career if he were to be appointed national manager. With the backing of Sir Alex Ferguson, big Sam could go from coaching Will Buckley and George Honeyman to Marcus Rashford and Dele Alli.
