The Times reports that former Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is still angry with the treatment he received at St James’ Park this season. Big Sam reveals that he wasn’t given the funds originally promised to strengthen the squad and did the best he could out of a bad situation.
“Looking back over that short period of time I don’t think any of it was particularly my fault,” Allardyce, who was replaced by Kevin Keegan, said.
“We didn’t have as much money as I expected,” he said. “I came to Newcastle to spend big.
“As a manager, you’re dependent on two sets of people – your owners and your players. Life is not in your hands. You’ve got to make the right decisions and I did so on the basis of my track record. I hope it hasn’t damaged my reputation. I told the owners we’d get stick at some point and obviously they haven’t been able to withstand that.”
Allardyce laughed off suggestions that, as a job, Newcastle was too big for him. “That’s an absolute load of rubbish,” the former Bolton Wanderers manager said. “I don’t think the fans didn’t like me, but it was the agitators who were the problem, the press and one or two of the ex-players. All the old managers that I’ve spoken to have said the same.”
It’s clear that Allardyce came under pressure far too early, considering the team were hovering in mid-table when he left. The appointment of Kevin Keegan has seemingly done nothing to turn things around for the Magpies, with many expecting him to leave before the end of the season if results don’t improve.