Big Sam: Profile of the proposed new England manager

Sam Allardyce who is set to be named England manager Credit: PA

Big Sam: The Player

Sam Allardyce spent 21 years as a player, mostly in the football league but also had spells in the North American Soccer League and the League of Ireland.

Clubs:

The central defender signed for Bolton Wanderers in 1971 and made his league debut in November 1973 as a 19-year-old in a 3-1 defeat to Notts County.He played for 11 clubs, ending his playing career with Preston North End in 1993 - his second spell with the Lancashire club.

Big Sam's clubs as a player:

  • Bolton Wanderers: 1973 - 80

  • Sunderland: 1980 - 82

  • Millwall: 1982 - 83

  • Tampa Bay Rowdies: 1983

  • Coventry City: 1983 - 84

  • Huddersfield Town: 1984 - 85

  • Bolton Wanderers: 1985 - 86

  • Preston North End: 1986 - 89

  • West Brom: 1989 - 91

  • Limerick: 1992 - 93

  • Preston North End: 1992 - 93

Big Sam: The Manager

Notts County manager Sam Allardyce, celebrates with the trophy, after Notts County win the third division championship Credit: EMPICS

Sam Allardyce has managed five different Premier League clubs - a joint record with Mark Hughes.

He took over Sunderland in October 2015 with them rooted to the bottom but managed to guide them to safety, while rivals Newcastle United - one of Allardyce's former clubs - were relegated.

Allardyce started as an assistant to Brian Talbot while he was still playing for West Brom, before landing his first managerial job at Limerick, in Ireland, where they won the league.

He took his first job in England at Blackpool in 1994 after a caretaker spell with Preston North End in 1992, before moving to Notts County where he won the Third Division Championship in 1998.

Allardyce celebrates taking Bolton Wanderers into Europe in 2005 Credit: PA

He joined Bolton Wanderers in October 1999 and took them to the Premier League in 2001 in his second season in charge.

In 2004/05 Bolton finished sixth and qualified for the UEFA Europa League.

In 2007 he was appointed Newcastle United but was sacked after just eight months and 24 games.

Spells at Blackburn Rovers and West Ham followed before he landed the Sunderland job in October 2015, and avoided relegation as the Black Cats lost only one of the final 11 matches.

Big Sam's clubs as manager:

  • Limerick: 1991 - 92

  • Preston North End (caretaker): 1992

  • Blackpool: 1994 - 96

  • Notts County: 1997 - 99

  • Bolton Wanderers: 1999 - 2007

  • Newcastle United: 2007 - 08

  • Blackburn: 2008-10

  • West Ham: 2011 - 15

  • Sunderland: 2015 - present