West Bromwich Albion will be on the lookout for yet another new manager with the news that Sam Allardyce is standing down as boss of the club when the season comes to its conclusion.
West Bromwich Albion Will Part Ways with Sam Allardyce at End of the Season
Sam Allardyce In Charge at West Bromwich Albion since December
The boss has only been in charge at the Baggies since December but will depart after the final game of the campaign. Tasked with leading the club out of relegation and to Premier League safety, he’s been unable to haul them out of the drop zone despite his reputation as a man well capable of doing a ‘rescue job’ on teams lower down the league table.
It was never going to be an easy job but the former Bolton Wanderers manager struggled. He had the lowest win percentage of his career to date and it’s likely they may now finish in 19th place.
The Baggies have even won fewer games than bottom club Sheffield United.
Straight Back to the Championship
West Brom spent two seasons in the Championship before this one, spending both at the top end of the table. After being knocked out of the competition by Aston Villa in the playoffs, they went one better a season later and achieved automatic promotion.
However, this time around, it hasn’t been half as long of a stay in the top flight as they would have liked. One season up and it’s straight back into the second tier.
Before Allardyce, Slaven Bilic was the man in control. He did a fine job with the Baggies, leading them up into the Premier League but he struggled early on in the top tier and paid for it by losing his position in charge.
Picked Up a Decent Result Against Chelsea
Any team would struggle to initially adapt to life in the Premier League. The goal for most teams promoted to the top tier is usually to attain survival in their first season there.
To expect instant results at West Brom in the Premier League again is perhaps naive.
Allardyce though tried at least, although perhaps the sacking of Slaven Bilic was a bit premature. He’s managed to save teams in the past and has done decent jobs in several of his former managerial stints that suggested he might be a good fit to take over at the side when Bilic was relieved of his duties (despite the furore around his appointment).
However, he did manage to lead them to decent results against high-flying Liverpool and Manchester United early on in his tenure and wrapped up an impressive 5-2 victory over Chelsea.
Final Straw in Loss to West Ham
In fact, working with the side he has and battling at the wrong end of the table, he’s managed to secure some fair results. Wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brighton & Hove Albion and draws against Newcastle United and Fulham will have helped their relegation fight but ultimately it hasn’t been enough – and Allardyce himself has seemingly had enough.
The club’s 3-1 loss to West Ham United – who are fighting for a European spot – appears to have been the final straw and rather than lead the side in the second tier, Sam Allardyce has decided to step away from the side after the end of the season. Ironically, Allardyce managed the Hammers back to the top flight in one of his many previous achievements during his managerial career.
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