There is a certain profile of team that hires Sam Allardyce and goodness, does Leeds ever fit that bill.
Locked in a relegation battle? Check. Leaking goals at an alarming rate? Check. Full of desperation? Check check check.
How desperate is Leeds? Consider that Allardyce is replacing a man who replaced a man who was sacked three months ago. And then also consider that Leeds has four games left in the season.
But that’s where Leeds, which just allowed the most goals an English top-flight team has conceded in any single month since 1986, currently finds itself.
Leeds confirmed on Wednesday that Javi Gracia, who was appointed in late February following Jesse Marsch’s sacking, had been sacked himself, with Allardyce appointed as the club’s third manager this season.
Leeds director of football Victor Orta also left the club “by mutual consent” the previous day.
Allardyce himself couldn’t quite believe that he would be hired so close to the end of the season.
“[I was] shocked [to get the opportunity] – I never thought at this stage of the season there would be jobs offered,” Allardyce told talkSPORT. “When the phone popped up with a name that I knew pretty well, I knew who it was straight away, so it took me about two seconds to say yes.”
Leeds is currently 17th in the Premier League table, level on points with Nottingham Forest, which sits in the league’s final relegation spot.
Allardyce returns to the Premier League for the first time since he was sacked after his failure to keep West Brom up in the 2020-21 season. Before that, the 68-year-old managed Everton, Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Blackburn and Newcastle, among others.
5 – Sam Allardyce has taken over at a Premier League club during a season on five previous occasions, with all five teams either improving or maintaining their league position come the end of the campaign. Fireman. pic.twitter.com/mldKVSzaJN
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) May 3, 2023
Leeds’ statement announcing the move made sure to note Allardyce’s firefighter credentials, saying: “Over the past decade he has successfully helped Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Everton avoid relegation from the Premier League during short-term stints.”
Big Sam’s first game in charge? Saturday’s away trip at Manchester City, which will be followed by a home game against third-place Newcastle.
Even for a man renowned for his great escapes, this one looks daunting.
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