As anyone who has worked with Sam Allardyce will tell you, appearances really can be deceptive. During his days as a centre‑half Sam was not always easy on the eye but fans prepared to watch him properly would quickly see he could certainly play a bit. It’s been the same throughout his managerial career; people look at him and immediately think: “Big, hard, brash.”
In reality he’s a very clever, very gifted man and a technically skilled coach whose biggest strength as the England manager will be offering them the identity that was clearly missing as we lost our way during Euro 2016. A lack of identity is England’s biggest problem. Sam’s national team will play with character, pride and passion – and, above all, he will play to people’s strengths.
We won’t be copying Spain or France or Italy or Belgium, and St George’s Park – which is really important and we’d been needing for years – will not be modelled on Clairefontaine or wherever. Sam’s message is: ‘Stay true to yourself, be yourselves and don’t try to copy anybody.’
He’s a driven man who won Bolton promotion to the Premier League before taking them into Europe and, like all the very best managers, he always sees the bigger picture. That not only sets him apart from some other coaches but will be in England’s long-term interests.
He’s got the sort of wider vision that I thought might make him a club chairman one day – and he will definitely be a big champion of young English managers. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone like Kevin Nolan was given some sort of role with England.
Sam will challenge orthodoxies and cut through some of the corporate jargon surrounding parts of the FA and he won’t suffer fools gladly but it will most definitely not be a case of “my way or the highway”. He’s always prepared to listen to alternative views and, sometimes, act on them.
The big thing with Sam is that people work with him, not for him. That’s very important and partly explains why his man-management is such a big strength. Players and staff feel valued – I know I did at Bolton – and that usually brings out the best in them. It inspires trust and loyalty. He treats players as part of his extended family.
Staff feel fully involved. I’ll always remember the morning Sam came into Bolton and glanced at the tactics board. He’d had quite a big night out the evening before and, joking, wondered whether he was seeing things when he realised the way the team marked out on the board had been set up with Ricardo Gardner, a winger, positioned at left-back.
“Did you do that Browny?” Sam asked. “Is that your idea?” “No,” I replied, “it’s the kit man’s.” Sam immediately knew it was a potential brainwave and asked me to send the kit man to his office where he thanked him and told him he would try Ricardo Gardner at left-back in the next game.
He was honest enough to tell him that, as the manager, he’d take the credit if it worked but, equally, would take the blame if it didn’t. Sam felt that as “the one putting my balls on the line” that was fair but he made sure the kit man knew that, should it be a success, his part would not be forgotten. It wasn’t. Ricardo did so well at left-back he virtually made a whole new career as a full-back.
People question how Sam will cope with the switch from a club to an international environment but I don’t envisage things really being that different – he will make sure it becomes very much Club England.
Some people have questioned his ability to deal with England players with skyscraper egos but, after seeing him get the best out of some very big talents boasting egos to match at Bolton, I have no worries. We are talking about, among others, Youri Djorkaeff, a World Cup winner, Jay-Jay Okocha, Nicolas Anelka, Fernando Hierro and Iván Campo.
Sam is brilliant at reviving players’ careers and we saw a good example at Sunderland last season where he turned Younès Kaboul from a disaster at centre‑half into an excellent defender who proved a big reason why Sunderland avoided relegation. Kaboul had been discarded by Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham and Dick Advocaat, Sam’s predecessor, was not getting a response from him at the Stadium of Light but he soon improved beyond recognition on the pitch. Off it Kaboul also became very important in the dressing room where, encouraged by Sam, he emerged as a leader and an important, positive influence on Sunderland’s French-speaking players.
And, trust me, he’s not the long-ball manager of popular perception – if you’ve got Okocha in your team you can’t play like that. If you’ve got Stewart Downing in the hole (as at West Ham) you don’t play like that and if you’ve got a forward as small as Jermain Defoe as your lone striker (as at Sunderland) you certainly can’t play like that. Believe me, Sam knows all about playing between the lines and I think his England will surprise a few people. He will play to people’s strengths and place round pegs in round holes – but at the clubs he’s worked at that has involved squeezing the very best out of some very average players and, sometimes, being forced to put square pegs in round holes.
At the end of his playing career he joined Preston, who had an AstroTurf pitch – if you’re a 6ft 3in footballer who can’t play football those surfaces will catch you out but Sam adapted his game and showed everyone his ability. Something similar could well happen now – but one thing he won’t do is write off players, who could do a very good job for England, as the wrong fit just because their game doesn’t look easy on the eye. What matters to Sam is if someone can get the job done.
It also helps he’s had some tough knocks. He’s had the sack, he’s been unpopular at Newcastle and West Ham, he’s suffered at times so he knows how to cope. He knows better than to be swayed by media criticism or blow with the prevailing wind. The biggest thing Sam taught me was that, even if it hurts in the short term, you have to be true to yourself.
My concerns about England? The only worry is that he gains the trust from Premier League managers necessary to do the job properly. Sam’s got a lot of friends in football but, as we’ve seen in the past, relations between international and club managers can be difficult. He needs them to have 100% trust in his ability to look after their players – but I would back Sam to earn it. Not to mention reminding everyone that appearances really can be deceptive.
Phil Brown is the manager of Southend United and was Sam Allardyce’s No2 at Bolton, left, and Blackpool. He turned down the chance to assist him at Sunderland
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