NEWS
A selection of FirstTouch's best football writing, brought to you by emerging journalists, collaborators, and fans.
Allardyce facing scrutiny
Everton boss Sam Allardyce is in a situation that he cannot help. The former England boss is at a club that was struggling at the beginning of the season and were looking like they would be facing the relegation battle if they could not change their ways. Big Sam was hired to replace Koeman and he has been out of favor because of his style of play. His team is set up in a way that is more defensive and plays for the counter attacks which has produced results ever since taking over as they are in 8th position already. However, this does not sit down well with the fans who are looking for an attractive football that means being attacking and dominating other teams which is not really much of an ask from a squad that was invested in a lot more than ever seen before with the recruitment of players like Walcott, Tosun, Sigurdsson, Rooney, Pickford, Klassen, Michael Keane among others. The problem with that style is that it has not produced results when Koeman was in charge. Arsenal are more likely to face the same challenge when they replace Wenger in the summer. If they bring in a manager who produces results but has a style of play that does not satisfy the fans, it is likely that the stadium will not be filled on the matchday.
Sam Allardyce said, “I can't honestly produce any more than I'm doing. What can I say when you've got 14 points out of seven games when you were faced with the club being in a very difficult position when you arrived? I can only say it's just one of those things, and if we keep winning hopefully they (the fans) might change it to love.”
It is unfortunate that the fans are not appreciating his work even when he is producing good results. What happens when he gets fed up the negative energy and leaves? Will Everton find a person who can meet the expectations of the fans which mean both playing good football and getting results? Engage with us in the comment section.