‘The biggest battle’ - Sam Allardyce’s comments on relegation battle as Leeds United move confirmed

It has now been officially confirmed by the club that there will be a new head coach at Leeds United for the final four games of the Premier League season.

Sam Allardyce will come in to replace Javi Gracia as the Whites make one last throw of the dice in their bid to avoid relegation to the EFL Championship. The former England boss has earned a reputation as a ‘survival expert’ having guided multiple clubs clear of the drop and having just one relegation (as West Brom boss) to his name during his 30-plus year managerial career.

The job with the Baggies was his last before taking over at Elland Road and the 68-year old has filled his time since then by making punditry appearances across different media outlets. He recently spoke about the difficulties of being a manager in the current climate especially when fighting a relegation battle.

Speaking on his ‘No Tippy Tappy Football’ podcast last week, Allardyce discussed sackings, young coaches and more. He said: “You manage the madness in the Premier League particularly because it’s never been as mad as this season. And of course at the top we’ve had the battle between Man City and Arsenal which is a surprise that Arsenal have stayed there. And at the bottom, we have the biggest battle I think we’ve ever had facing the last five or six games where there’s six or seven teams still involved with the fight against relegation.

“So it makes for very, very interesting reading. But for managers, anybody out there, the young coaches and young aspiring managers, just be aware that it’s a very, very tricky business and more often than not, you have to be ready to be sacked. Because that’s generally what’s going to happen.”