When the Premier League comes to an end this summer the list of managers out of work is likely to be a long one. Sam Allardyce will be among the names on it.
Arriving at Everton at the end of November, his remit was to keep them in the Premier League. It is a job that he has completed with time to spare. Yet, despite that, his reign at Goodison Park has not been a harmonious one.
Sam Allardyce is the Architect of His Own Downfall
Lack of Ambition
Evertonians did not want Allardyce but begrudgingly accepted him as the man to help the club avoid a relegation battle. Five months later and even the most of ardent of his supporters want him gone. A staggering lack of ambition, endless belittling of the club and dire football are three of a plethora of reasons they want a change.
Unfortunately for Allardyce, it appears they will get their wish. If rumours are to be believed, his stint at Goodison will be a short and disappointing one.
The Everton job was a chance for Allardyce to prove his critics wrong. This is the biggest club he has managed and arguably the best squad he has ever had at his disposal.
This is not a group of players devoid of confidence and lacking in quality that needed to go back to basics to scrap for points and narrowly avoid relegation. It is a group that needs clear leadership to point the ship in the right direction.
With them, he had an opportunity to demonstrate he is not only the relegation fire-fighter that many believe him to be. He had a chance to show that there is more to this veteran boss than meets the eye.
His lack of ambition has stopped that from happening. Rather than a new Allardyce, Everton have been treated to peak Allardyce far too often and it has left a sour taste.
The recent Merseyside Derby provides a perfect case in point. Against a rotated Liverpool, Allardyce had the perfect chance to secure Everton’s first win against their rivals in eight years.
The victory may have been hollow but it would have provided one good memory in a season full of very bad ones.
Instead, he ordered his team to be defensively solid, limiting them going forward despite Liverpool’s obvious fragility at the back. Ultimately it secured a point but it was unambitious in the extreme.
The hyperbole and attempts to sell a boring 0-0 draw as a positive was not befitting of an Everton manager. Evertonians have seen it too many times during in his time in charge.
Too often have Everton have sat deep, happy to take a point if they could. Too often has Allardyce tried to sell it as a positive thing.
Positive Change Needed
Everton fans would prefer to see to see their team at least try to win games rather than the meek showings they have been served up under Allardyce. His tactics have been nothing short of archaic. Unambitious is another fair description.
It is why links to Paulo Fonseca and Marco Silva will not go away. These are ambitious managers who play attractive football and aren’t afraid to challenge the bigger sides. They offer fresh thoughts and style fans are often happy with, even in defeat.
Everton is a club with an ambitious owner and equally ambitious fans both of whom want to see their club competing for more than seventh place in the Premier League.
To do so they need a manager whose ambitions are similar to theirs. It obvious that Sam Allardyce is not that man. He will blame other factors but it is own lack of ambition that will cost him the Everton job.
Main Photo
