Interesting Facts About Sam Allardyce

English professional football coach Sam Allardyce is one of the best coaches to have managed an English Premier League club. Since he started his managerial career in 1988, Allardyce has proved his worth as a goal-oriented coach.

 The 67-year-old was born on 19 October 1954 in Dudley, England. As a child, Sam Allardyce had always wanted to pursue a career in football, whether as a football player or coach. His childhood dream was to play for Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. At this stage of his life, he was a very active football player. He even represented his hometown in various football competitions.

At age 15, Sam Allardyce, popularly known as Big Sam, was signed by Bolton Wanderers and made it to the club’s youth team. During this period, his incredible performances as a central back made him the perfect selection for the club’s senior team.

After staying with the club for seven seasons with a total of 227 appearances and 26 goals,  Sam Allardyce left the club in 1980 for Sunderland. He also played for other clubs like Huddersfield, West Bromwich Albion, Preston North End, and Coventry City, Millwall.

Inspired to follow his childhood dream of being a football coach, Sam Allardyce took some professional courses to make him qualified for this position.  In 1989, West Bromwich Albion appointed him as assistant manager of the club. Five years later, he became manager of Blackpool. Although he had a good spell at the club, Blackpool decided to terminate his appointment after some years.

Now, the opportunity to coach his first club (Bolton Wanderers) presented itself, and Sam Allardyce accepted the offer to become the club’s manager in 1999. The 67-year-old performed outstandingly and recorded a lot of achievements, including a quick return to the premiership.