A good move for West Ham United, but one fears for Big Sam’s dignity

First, he was taking orders from an absurd fanboy owner, and then a witless chicken company. Now, Sam Allardyce answers to a couple of porn kings and a crazy lady. Oh Sam, my dear Sam.

By Darshan Joshi, writing from Sydney

Not often is a man with the nickname ‘Big’ belittled, but as news breaks that Sam Allardyce will be taking the reins at Upton Park for the Hammers’ impending second-tier campaign, one can’t help but wonder why the man seems to have a naughty habit of laying himself bare for his horror owners (of recent times) to have their way with. After all, this is a man who was touted to become the next England manager for a considerable amount of time following his miracle-work at Bolton Wanderers.

When Allardyce left Bolton, he proclaimed that he wanted silverware; something that he hadn’t gotten at Bolton, even though he had established the Trotters as a solid and consistent Premier League outfit, worthy adversaries for anyone who came a knocking - just ask the Arsenal faithful. Soon enough, he was at Newcastle United. His dream had come true; this was a massive job. What Allardyce didn’t envision, though, was the arrival of a certain Mike Ashley, who came rolling into St James Park. And so this curious trend in Sam Allardyce’s life was sparked. Not much time had passed before his head rolled, taking the same route Ashley’s body had paved, albeit out of the club. Ashley represented strike one, the first of the terrible owners who have hung poor Allardyce out to dry.

His next task was at Ewood Park, to do what he did at Bolton, in this new setting. And he did just that; Blackburn finished 10th in his first season. But the curse of the owner struck Allardyce again, at the end of 2010, when their new Indian owners, Venky’s, fired him despite the side balancing perfectly in 13th position, five points clear of relegation trouble. Blackburn Rovers went on to avoid relegation that season, but only after a last-day victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers. 

We fast-forward to the present day, and as far as Sam Allardyce’s predicaments go, well, it’s not dissimilar to the previous two he was forced to endure. Mike Ashley and the Venky’s group have now taken the form of a three-headed dragon in the shape of a couple of porn kings and a crazy lady. At Upton Park, he will be under the watchful gaze of Davids Gold and Sullivan, as well as Karen Brady. Hopefully this proves to be Big Sam’s third time lucky under questionable leadership.