Sam Allardyce is capable of consolidating West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League if he replaces Slaven Bilic at The Hawthorns, former West Ham forward Carlton Cole told talkSPORT (16 December, 9.30am).
As Bilic himself pointed out after the hardest of hard-fought 1-1 draws at Manchester City on Tuesday night, handing the Croatian his P45 less than 24 hours after that heroic performance would feel more than a little harsh.
But, according to talkSPORT, West Brom are set to dispense with the services of the coach who guided them out of the Championship at the first time of asking last season.
Veteran tactician Allardyce is expected to step into Bilic’s shoes, with the former Everton, Bolton and Crystal Palace boss closing in on a return to the dugout after two-and-a-half years out of the game.
Ex-England international Cole was a key part of the West Ham team who finished tenth in the Premier League under Allardyce in 2013, just 12 months after beating Blackpool in the Championship play-off final.
And Cole is backing the 66-year-old, who also saved Everton, Palace and Sunderland from relegation, to work his magic once again in the Midlands.
“He consolidates teams in the Premier League. I know for fact that he will get the defence right, stop them conceding goals and move the team forward,” Cole said of Allardyce, who was born a few miles down the road from West Bromwich in Dudley.
“He’s got vast experience at doing that. I’m not sure how the fans would feel about it but, if you want to stay in the Premier League, there’s no one better to go to.
“If you look at West Ham, he consolidated us in the Premier League and it helped the club get that stability. And that’s what West Brom need.”
Allardyce has often been burdened with the ‘dinosaur’ tag, with many fans and pundits believing that a coach renowned for a pragmatic, direct style of play belongs in the distant past.
Cole, however, feels such claims are unfair, insisting that ‘Big Sam’ is far more forward-thinking than he is given credit for.
“(The dinosaur comments) that’s harsh. I think he’s innovative, he was always looking at the sports science part, how much the players run, and it did help the team.
“He’s not the dinosaur everybody thinks he is. He is a forward-thinking fella.”
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