Sam Allardyce is one of the most recognisable Premier League figures of the past 20 years. It looks like he's back in the top flight, too, with Leeds United said to be on the verge of announcing his appointment.
Following a 21-year playing career as a defender, Allardyce took his uncompromising approach into management, landing his first permanent role with Blackpool back in 1994.
His best years came in the early part of the 21st century, when he led Bolton Wanderers from the second tier to the top six of the Premier League and introduced stars such as Jay-Jay Okocha and World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff to the English club scene.
After further stints at the top level with Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and Sunderland, Allardyce was rewarded with the top job for an English coach: the position of England national team manager. He was appointed on July 22, 2016; 67 days later, and after just one match in charge, he was out.
What happened?
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Why was Sam Allardyce sacked by England?
On September 27, 2017, Allardyce left his position as England manager by mutual consent. He had been in charge for just 67 days.
The former Bolton boss, who had described the national-team post as his "dream job", left amid the furore created by an undercover report by The Telegraph newspaper, in which Allardyce was filmed making remarks described as "inappropriate" by the Football Association.
Reporters for the Telegraph, posing as representatives for a fake sports agency, obtained footage and recordings during a meeting with Allardyce, who had just been appointed as Ry Hodgson's replacement following the Euro 2016 exit to Iceland.
In this meeting, Allardyce was allegedly shown negotiating a £400,000 fee to represent a firm hoping to profit from player transfers involving Premier League clubs. He also, according to the recordings, offered advice on how to circumvent FA rules on third-party ownership, mocked Hodgson for having a speech impediment and criticised the FA for its redevelopment of Wembley Stadium.
After a series of crisis meetings involving FA chief executive Martin Glenn, and FA chairman Greg Dyke, it was agreed that Allardyce's position was untenable.
"Allardyce's conduct, as reported today, was inappropriate of the England manager. He accepts he made a significant error of judgment and has apologised," the FA said in a statement.
"However, due to the serious nature of his actions, the FA and Allardyce have mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect. This is not a decision that was taken lightly, but the FA's priority is to protect the wider interests of the game and maintain the highest standards of conduct in football. The manager of the England men's senior team is a position which must demonstrate strong leadership and show respect for the integrity of the game at all times."
Allardyce said: "Although it was made clear during the recorded conversations that any proposed arrangements would need the FA's full approval, I recognise I made some comments which have caused embarrassment. As part of today's meeting, I was asked to clarify what I said and the context in which the conversations took place. I have co-operated fully in this regard."
Allardyce has been in charge for just one match — a 1-0 win over Slovakia in World Cup 2018 qualifying. He was the shortest-serving permanent England manager in history.
Under-21 boss Gareth Southgate was placed in interim charge of the senior team before later being named Allardyce's full-time replacement. Southgate remains in the role.
What did Allardyce say about the newspaper sting?
In his initial statement, Allardyce accepted his conduct had been unbecoming for someone in his position, but he was "deeply disappointed" by the situation.
He launched a complaint to Ipso, the UK's press regulator, claiming the Telegraph's sting was unfair because he was not found to have broken any FA rules through his conduct. Allardyce was also unhappy with the coverage because the Telegraph's wider investigation was into alleged corruption and bribery in football — serious offences of which Allardyce was not being accused.
In August 2018, Ipso ruled the Telegraph's coverage was justified. The regulator said the newspaper's undercover operation was a "productive and proportionate" way to investigate what sort of commercial opportunities Allardyce would consider, adding that the paper was entitled to publish its report because the evidence it obtained "could reasonably be considered to demonstrate sufficiently serious impropriety".
In 2019, Allardyce told the Gary Newbon Sports Show that the FA "overreacted" and that "it wasn't my fault". He said: "You never get over that. I think it never stops coming back into your mind. Now and again you think, 'If only', 'What might you have achieved', but you can't reflect on that for too long because it will destroy your family life.
"Without family your dark moments could've become darker. It took a long haul to get people to realise that it wasn't my fault, I haven't broken any rules or regulations.
"Was I silly? Yes. Did I do anything wrong? No. Did the people who looked at what the Telegraph did take a view of it? No, they didn't really. They just overreacted immediately, sadly, and that was the FA."
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What happened to Allardyce after England?
Allardyce did not have long to wait for his next job. On December 23, 2016, he took charge of Crystal Palace, replacing the sacked Alan Pardew. He successfully kept them in the Premier League in the 2016/17 season but surprisingly left his role at the end of the season, hinting he could choose to retire from club management.
However, in November 2017, Allardyce signed an 18-month contract with Everton, who had dismissed Ronald Koeman following a poor start to the season. While he was successful in terms of results, guiding the Toffees to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League, fans criticised his more prosaic style of football — something that had also frustrated supporters during his spells with Newcastle and West Ham — and he left the club in May 2018.
Allardyce was again parachuted into a club battling relegation in 2020/21, this time West Brom, but he was unable to turn their fortunes around and they were relegated at the end of that season. It was the first time a team managed by Allardyce had finished in the bottom three of the Premier League. West Brom actually wanted to keep him, but Allardyce chose to step down at the end of the campaign.
