Sam Allardyce - Football Manager, Family and Facts

Samuel Allardyce was born on October 19, 1954, in Dudley, England, to Mary and Robert Allardyce, who were of Scottish origin. His father was a police sergeant. Sam grew up with his elder brother, Robert Jr., and his elder sister, Mary.

He was raised in Dudley, where he attended the ‘Sycamore Green Primary School’ and ‘Mons Hill School.’ He suffered from dyslexia, which caused him to fail in his eleven-plus exam. However, he soon discovered his talent in football and started playing semi-professional football for ‘Dudley Town’ at the age of 14.

Once out of school, he started working in a factory that made record decks. He also played for the junior team of the ‘Bolton Wanderers’ that won the ‘Lancashire Youth Cup’ and reached the quarter-finals of the ‘FA Youth Cup.’

By the age of 17, Allardyce had signed a £ 14-a-week contract with ‘Bolton Wanderers’ and made his debut in a ‘League Cup’ match against ‘Millwall.’ He made his ‘Second Division’ debut against ‘Notts County’ but failed to make it to the first string.

During the 1974–1975 season, Allardyce displayed some excellent football and was chosen as the ‘Young Player of the Year’ by his club. However, the club did not do too well, and Allardyce did not get along with the manager. This made him quit the club after the 1979–1980 season.

Allardyce signed a contract of £ 20,000 with ‘Sunderland,’ with a weekly fee of £ 300. He was made the captain of the club for the 1980–1981 season. The club did not suit him due to it being located far away from his home. This made him quit the club in the following season.

He was then picked up by ‘Millwall,’ which offered him a £ 30,000 signing fee with a loyalty bonus of £ 10,000. The club did not do well in the 1981–1982 season. Allardyce was offered the manager’s post, which he rejected, as he considered himself too young for the job. He did not get along with the new manager and was paid £ 15,000 to leave the club before the end of his contract.

He relocated to the US to play for the ‘Tampa Bay Rowdies’ in the ‘North American Soccer League.’ While with the club, he picked up a few tactics that he used during his later career as a manager. However, American football did not suit him, and he returned to England soon after.

Back home, he was made the captain of ‘Coventry City’ for the 1983–1984 season. He left the club in the middle of the season and joined ‘Huddersfield Town.’ During the next few seasons, he played for ‘Bolton Wanderers’ and ‘Preston North End.’

From 1989 to 1993, he played for various teams and acted as a manager simultaneously. This period saw him being associated with ‘West Bromwich Albion,’ ‘Bury,’ ‘Limerick,’ and ‘Preston North End.’ He finally got a full-time managerial job with ‘Blackpool’ in 1994.

He left the club and joined Sunderland for a brief period before taking up the challenge of managing ‘Notts County,’ a club that was going through a rough patch. He remained with the team till 1999 and got them back on track.

He was then made the manager of ‘Bolton Wanderers’ and helped them reach the 1999–2000 ‘Division One’ play-offs. They reached the ‘League Cup’ semi-finals and missed out on the 2000 ‘FA Cup’ finals due to a defeat to ‘Aston Villa’ in a penalty shoot-out.

Allardyce was rewarded with a 10-year contract. He made several changes in the club’s strategy, which included building better infrastructure and acquiring good players. He worked with the club till 2007 and resigned because his financial demands were not met.

He was later made the manager of ‘Newcastle United’ for a three-year term but left after a year to become the manager of ‘Blackburn Rovers’ in December 2008. He remained with the club till it was put up for sale in 2010.

In June 2011, he became the manager of ‘West Ham United.’ He brought in an entirely new team and made some tactical changes in their game that brought the team back into the ‘Premier League.’ However, he decided to leave the club in 2015 and joined ‘Sunderland.’

After a very short stint with the English national team, he became the manager of ‘Crystal Palace’ in December 2016, and in November 2017, he went on to manage ‘Everton’ and continues his stint with them to date.

Allardyce has played for ‘Bolton Wanderers’ (1973–1980 and 1985–1986), ‘Sunderland’ (1980–1981), ‘Millwall’ (1981–1983), ‘Tampa Bay Rowdies’ (1983), ‘Coventry City’ (1983–1984), ‘Huddersfield Town’ (1984–1985), ‘Preston North End’ (1986–1989), ‘West Bromwich Albion’ (1989–1991), ‘Limerick’ (1991–1992), and ‘Preston North End’ (1992–1993).

After retiring as a footballer, he managed ‘Blackpool’ (1994–1996), ‘Notts County’ (1997–1999), ‘Bolton Wanderers’ (1999–2007), ‘Newcastle United’ (2007–2008), ‘Blackburn Rovers’ (2008–2010), ‘Sunderland’ (2015–2016), The English national football team (2016), ‘Crystal Palace’ (2016–2017), and ‘Everton’ (2017–present).

He was named as a member of the ‘PFA Team of the Year’ in the 1986–1987 season and won promotion out of the ‘Fourth Division’ in second-place. He became the ‘Football League First Division Manager of the Month’ in January 2001.

He was the ‘Premier League Manager of the Month’ in August 2001, November 2003, January 2004, December 2006, February 2014, and October 2014.

He married Lynne Ward in June 1974 and has a son, Craig, and daughter, Rachel. His son grew up to be a footballer like his father.

In 2006 Allardyce and his son were accused of accepting bribes. Their crime was reportedly revealed by a ‘BBC’ sting operation. He denied the charges but did not press the case further. He was also involved in a controversy regarding flouting ‘FA’ rules.

Allardyce was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by the ‘University of Bolton.’ He has a number of businesses, which include a social club, a fast-food restaurant, and a motor-parts firm.

He earned the nickname “Super Sam Bionic Man” for his tackling and heading skills.

He signed a two-year contract to manage the English national team in July 2016 but resigned after 67 days, following allegations of malpractice.