Sam Allardyce

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.

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.

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).