Allardyce: "It'll be hard for the FA to ignore me for England job"

The brutal reality of West Ham’s demise was evident when one man and his dog turned up to listen to Sam Allardyce’s pre-match media briefing.

In fact, only one camera crew attended the media conference for the high ­profile derby against ­Millwall bringing into stark reality life outside of top-flight football.

Last season the Hammers couldn’t keep out of the news for all the wrong ­reasons as the disastrous reign of Avram Grant sent the club hurtling towards eventual relegation.

Yet this is a club that posted the fourth highest ­attendance in English football two weeks ago and has a database of supporters fast exceeding one million.

Getting back into the Premier League is the ­challenge Allardyce ­accepted in the summer. And big Sam is typically forthright when he assesses his club’s tilt for the top flight.

He said: “I thrive under pressure and I said when I came here if I don’t deliver promotion in two seasons I expect to get sacked.

“In fact, co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold won’t have to sack me ­because I’d tender my ­resignation and say its right to part company anyway.

“If I don’t deliver on what I said, it’s only right I go. I think it puts everything into perspective when you have a club the size of West Ham in the Championship, a club with more support than a great deal of Premier League clubs.

“So it’s sobering when you walk out into an empty press conference and there is little or no coverage in the media.

“It’s just a further demonstration of the wealth and ­immense power of the Premier League. It’s as if life doesn’t exist outside the top-flight.

“A normal Premier League press conference will last nearly an hour and a half. Here it’s over in ten minutes.

“But that’s all the more reason why you want to get back into the Premier League.

“The opportunity to succeed at West Ham is far greater than what would have been on offer from a Premier League club. The sad thing is people think I’m a good lad to take on to save a football club from relegation, not to build a club to be successful.

“But I have that here. I have the owners in David ­Sullivan and David Gold (above) who won’t rest until real success arrives at this club and are confident I’m the man to deliver it.”

Allardyce refuses to rule out being a contender for the ­England job when it becomes vacant after Euro 2012.

He explained: “If I’m ­successful at West Ham, why not? If that’s the case I think it would prove hard for the FA to ignore me.

“But I wouldn’t ever want to be seen as disrespectful in the eyes of the West Ham supporters. I would hope they would give me a break if England comes calling.”

GoonerJay29 wrote:If the F.A. want an English manager then Allardyce would be on the list be default, really. Not like there are many candidates to choose from:

Harry Redknapp
Roy Hodgson
Neil Warnock

...anyone else?

Fingers crossed the F.A. do the right thing here.

Immaculate_Mole wrote:Holloway?

Would do much greater job than those dinosaurs and we would actually play decent football and youth would be given a chance.

izzy26 wrote:

Immaculate_Mole wrote:Holloway?

Would do much greater job than those dinosaurs and we would actually play decent football and youth would be given a chance.

*bleep* Off.

Big Sam managed the Toon FFS, do you know what the Big man is capable of? :king:

ragbirjosh wrote:This guy has gone from a butthurt to delirious.That's what happens when you lie to yourself to ease the butthurt.

So I guess...Mike Ashley can be defined as having raped and psychologically abused him.

Hopefully that is enough so that he can go to jail and Newcastle can get a new owner.

This is how you see the positives in a sad story.