Football
ESPN staff 9y

Sam Allardyce still hopes to land England job

Sam Allardyce has revealed he still holds out hope of managing England before his retirement.

West Ham United boss Allardyce, 59, had been considered a leading candidate to succeed Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2006 after an impressive spell in charge of Bolton, but ultimately the job went to Steve McClaren.

Allardyce did not appear to be a contender to replace Fabio Capello in 2012, when Roy Hodgson took the post despite a strong media campaign supporting Harry Redknapp, but he feels he could put himself in the frame if he impresses in club management when the job is next vacant.

"As time goes on, you wonder how long Roy will be there," he told the Daily Express. "When the job does become vacant, you are talking about one of the most iconic jobs in international football, so you have to be on top of your game at that particular time.

"I would hope to be when Roy does finish, but you can't see the future. Even two years in the future is a long time. I do know I was ready for it in 2006. In the end, they went for Steve McClaren, which was a massive disappointment."

Allardyce has previously said he believes he would be suited to managing a European giant such as Inter Milan, Real Madrid, Manchester United or Chelsea but believes his prospects of doing so came to end with his failed stint at Newcastle United in the 2007-08 season.

Allardyce had taken charge at St James' Park on the back of his success with Bolton, but he left the club after just eight months amid disappointing results and pressure from supporters.

He said his chances of success were severely hindered after Mike Ashley bought the club, with the new owner apparently refusing to release the funds for a host of players who went on to become leading stars.

"It ended up where I couldn't get that bigger or better club, so I think there must have been something in my career that stopped me," he said. "I think it was Newcastle. Had that been successful with Freddy Shepherd, the man who appointed me, staying on, I might have got an even bigger club than Newcastle.

"I don't blame Mike Ashley, because when you pay that amount for a football club and you know what you want to do with it, sometimes you like to get rid of the furniture you have inherited, but from a career point-of-view it was a massive blow.

"It was the spending the power of Newcastle that attracted me. I'd had limited funds at Bolton and it was the opportunity for the bigger pot, and Freddy wanted to emulate the success they had in the Kevin Keegan era.

"With Mike taking over, those funds never materialised. I had lined up moves for Phil Jaglielka, Luka Modric and Branislav Ivanovic -- people on my Bolton recruitment database. Not big stars but quality players and, with the finances I was being promised at Newcastle, we could have done something."

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