Speaking on Kammy and Ben’s Proper Football Podcast, Sam Allardyce has been discussing his time at Everton and his departure from Goodison Park.
Allardyce isn’t the most well-liked figure on Merseyside, but from purely a results perspective he wasn’t half-bad as Everton boss.
Indeed, he managed the Toffees to an eighth-place finish before he was sacked, but due to dissatisfaction with his style of play, he was hounded out of the club.
Four years on, Allardyce still believes that the decision to sack him was unjustified, and he’s shared his feelings on the matter on this podcast.
What’s been said?
Allardyce spoke about his departure from Everton.
“Well, you know, it’s one of those things. I never thought I should’ve left Everton. We finished eighth in my short period of time. They were 16th or 17th and we worked our way out of trouble into 8th. People always go on and always have gone on about the style of football, but it was about putting Everton in the right position and then changing the players to a better style and a more adventurous style,” Allardyce said.
He might be right
Everton fans will most certainly disagree, but there’s an element of truth in what Allardyce is saying.
Yes, his style wasn’t pretty, but we’re sure Everton would rather be grinding to top-half finishes rather than scrapping against relegation.
As Allardyce says, the style of play may have changed over time too. Let’s not forget, Allardyce’s Bolton team played some very pretty football towards the end of his time in Lancashire with the likes of Jay-Jay Okocha dazzling at the Reebok on a weekly basis in the 2000s.
Hindsight is 20/20, but it’s hard to argue that Everton wouldn’t be in a better place if they’d stuck with Allardyce.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
