Has Sam Allardyce ever been relegated? His Premier League relegation record as Leeds gamble on veteran manager
Sam Allardyce, firefighter. You thought those days were over? Think again, with Leeds appointing the 68-year-old until the end of the season.
The SOS call comes after Leeds dismissed Javi Gracia, and now Allardyce has just four games to try and preserve their Premier League status – in what is his ninth role at a top-tier club.
The former England manager arrives with a reputation as a survival specialist, although that took a hit during his most recent managerial stint with West Brom two years ago. Nevertheless, Leeds will hope his 17 years of Premier League experience will serve the club well in the final stretch of the campaign.
But it is far from an easy start, with Leeds heading to title favourites Manchester City on Saturday before hosting third-placed Newcastle the following weekend.
Leeds then travel to West Ham on 21 May before their final match of the season at home to Tottenham on 28 May.
A task too tall for Allardyce? Here’s a deeper dive into his managerial record…
Has Allardyce ever been relegated?
From Bolton to Newcastle to Blackburn to West Ham to Sunderland (then England, briefly) to Crystal Palace to Everton, Allardyce never experienced relegation from the Premier League.
That changed, however, when Allardyce was appointed by West Brom midway through the 2020-21 season. The Baggies were 19th when bringing him in, and that is where they finished the campaign, 13 points from safety.
Relegation dented Allardyce’s record but evidently has not stopped Leeds from believing he is the man capable of keeping them up, having previously saved other clubs from precarious positions.
Sam Allardyce’s big survival seasons
Bolton 2002-03 – Stayed up on the final day with 2-1 win over Middlesbrough, relegating West Ham
Blackburn 2008-09 – Appointed in December with club 19th, finished the season 15th
Sunderland 2015-16 – Appointed in October with club 19th, finished the season 17th
Crystal Palace 2016-17 – Appointed in December with club 17th, finished the season 14th
Big Sam’s the man for Leeds as they target Premeir League survival (Photo: PA)
This reputation was forged at Bolton, where he earned promotion to the Premier League in 2001. After finishing 16th then 17th, Allardyce elevated Bolton to contenders for Europe, finishing sixth in 2004-05 to reach the Uefa Cup the following campaign.
He eventually resigned in April 2007 at a time when they were about to secure another Uefa Cup spot, and there were rumours Manchester City were interested in appointing him.
However, he went on to join Newcastle for a short-lived stint from May 2007 until January 2008, with the club 11th at the time of his dismissal.
Blackburn would go on to call on his services in December 2008 as a replacement for Paul Ince, when the club were 19th and on an 11-game winless run.
They would eventually finish 15th, and after coming 10th in 2009-10, Allardyce was “very shocked” when sacked in December 2010 when the club were 13th in the table and five points above the relegation zone.
Next was West Ham, his second-longest stint after Bolton. With the Hammers, Allardyce won promotion via the play-offs in his first season in charge, and then guided the club to 10th in their first campaign back in the top tier.
Sam Allardyce’s Premier League record
Matches: 537
Wins: 178
Win ratio: 33%
Draws: 145
Losses: 214
Goals For: 631
Goals Against: 748
They would then finish 13th and 12th under Allardyce, but they opted against renewing his contract at the end of the 2014-15 season.
It did not take long for Sunderland to seek him out, appointing him in October 2015 after Dick Advocaat left the club eight winless games into the season. Once more, Allardyce worked his magic, with the Black Cats staying up by just two points and relegating rivals Newcastle in the process.
The Sunderland spell ended when England came calling – the most famous of his short-lived stints – before Palace turned to Allardyce.
In 2016-17, Palace were 17th when replacing Alan Pardew with Allardyce in December 2016, and they would go on to finish 14th.
Then, in November 2017, Everton hired Allardyce when the club were 13th, and he steered them to an eighth-placed finish.
Leeds fans will hope that Allardyce can lean on his vast experience and provide the boost their players desperately need to avoid a dispiriting drop into the Championship.
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