Big Sam is back in the game.
Sam Allardyce, 63, has signed an 18-month contract to take charge of Everton who had been without a permanent boss since Ronald Koeman was sacked last month.
David Unsworth (who will step back into his role as academy director and U-23 coach) had been leading the Toffees on an interim boss but following their 4-0 win against West Ham on Wednesday, Allardyce has taken over permanently and he was in the stands to watch that win.
It is believed that Sammy Lee and Craig Shakespeare will arrive as Allardyce’s assistant coaches at Goodison Park, with Everton currently in 13th place in the Premier League table with just four wins from their opening 14 games of the season.
“Everton is a unique club and I feel really enthused and energized to come in as manager. Obviously the club has gone through a difficult spell and hopefully I can put that behind us as quickly as possible,” Allardyce said.
🔵 | #EFC can confirm the appointment of Sam Allardyce as the Club’s new manager on a deal until June 2019. pic.twitter.com/fa9cjsE0HN
— Everton (@Everton) November 30, 2017
Following his departure as England boss in September 2016 after just one game in charge due to being embroiled in a undercover newspaper scandal, Allardyce took over Crystal Palace last December and kept them up before leaving them at the end of last season, pointing towards a decision to slow down and step away from the game.
It didn’t last long.
His proud record of keeping teams in the Premier League and not being relegated during spells with Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United, Sunderland and then Palace meant that Everton and other PL strugglers were keen to get Big Sam on board.
The Toffees have turned to an experienced head to keep them away from the bottom three and Allardyce’s appointment on an 18-month deal suggests that he is not the man to lead Everton in the long run, but his job will be to steady the ship and try and finish in the top 10 this season.
With Roy Hodgson landing at Crystal Palace and Alan Pardew taking over at West Brom, the same old faces keep getting jobs in the PL.
Allardyce has certainly done alright after his decision to step away from Palace and rebuilding this Everton squad may be a little easier than most people think. Getting them solid defensively will be his main challenge in the short-term but they certainly have an array of attacking talents to hurt opponents.
