Wed 25 Jan 06
Big Sam Man I Am
Now that the end is set for the sad reign of Sven Goran Eriksson, punters are already proffering names for his replacement. My vote is in for Sam Allardyce, Bolton’s manager.
- While there are some highly talented foreign candidates like Guus Hiddink and Ottmar Hitzfeld, England supporters need some native comfort after Eriksson’s gaffes. Yes, that is in a sense a political judgment but try building a Canadian cabinet of federal ministers on reason alone.
- One Eriksson legacy is the toxic influence of Beckham. Yes, I said it. His best years are behind him and his leadership skills are on autopilot. England needs a firm manager to dethrone him and replace him with the likes of Steven Gerrard or John Terry. Sam Allardyce has actually kept El-Hadji Diouf in line and extracted winning performances from him. That itself should seal the deal.
- The post of England manager demands a grasp of both the science of football and the art of media spin. As Seymour Skinner once observed, a good scientist is part B.F. Skinner and P.T. Barnum. Big Sam is tough enough to take on the tabloids and disciplined enough to keep his zipper up.
Big Sam. For the good of the game.
Paul Canniff
