They’d likely already programmed Sam Allardyce’s number into speed dial at Leicester City by the time they’d sacked Craig Shakespeare. After all, ‘Big Sam’ as he has become affectionately dubbed, is the man for guaranteeing Premier League survival. He might have suffered a humiliating demise as England manager, but for teams in a certain situation, he is a saviour. And he’s out of a job.
But all presumptions that Allardyce would take over at the King Power Stadium were dashed when the man himself ruled himself out of the running. “As big a club it is and as much as I would love to manage Leicester, I don't think it is time for me,” he said. “I’m not ready. Having been in it so long and how I felt at the end of last season, I am enjoying my life too much.”
That was surprising to many, but not as surprising as what followed. Having ruled himself out of a job that would appear to be a perfect fit, the former Crystal Palace and Sunderland boss threw his hat into the ring for the US national team position, which is vacant after the resignation of Bruce Arena last week.
“If I ever go back into football, an international position again might be of interest to me,” Allardyce said. “Whether that is in the USA, who knows. If we got to that stage where there was an interview, you would assess whether you have a chance of being successful with that national side and, if you do, is that a better challenge for me at this stage of my life?”
In the short term, Allardyce would appear a logical appointment for the USA. Right now, they need someone to quell the frenzy that has engulfed the American game since their failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. They need someone to simply get them back on track before their next competitive fixtures, in the 2019 Gold Cup.
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Allardyce is well-qualified to do all that. What’s more, he excels at getting the best from squads of limited talent. That’s what makes him so effective at keeping Premier League teams up. The same principle would apply for him as US national team manager. This is a side with few, if any, world class talents. Allardyce could still get a tune from them.
There’s more at play for the USA, though. They have grand ambitions as a footballing nation. They plan on being a super power in the sport for generations to come, with the country's own domestic division, MLS, explicitly aiming to be one of the strongest leagues in the world by 2020. They don’t hold back in their targets.
In this sense, Allardyce wouldn’t be the best appointment. At no point in his career has he shown that he can build something that outlasts his own tenure - look at how both Crystal Palace and Sunderland both sunk after he departed. The USA needs someone who can build for the future and there’s little to suggest that Allardyce would be that man.
They thought Jurgen Klinsmann was the man for that job, but his results started to wane. Ideally, US Soccer would appoint Allardyce to take charge of the national team, get them to the 2022 World Cup, and a new technical director to oversee the overall development of the American soccer scene.
Klinsmann held both of those roles and it ultimately cost him, with the German sacked amid a flurry of public backlash. They must separate them out. Maybe then, Allardyce would be the man for the job, but untick then the US needs a more rounded candidate.
