2. The Making of Big Sam: Glory Years and Unending Trauma

When Sam Allardyce arrived at Bolton they were in the bottom half of the second tier. Eight years later, he left the club as Premier League stalwarts with a couple of trips to Europe and a string of bloodied noses in their wake. After an ill-fated spell at Newcastle his career since then has been a patchwork of clubs who’ve hired Allardyce because they have to, not necessarily because they want to, and it hasn’t ended well at most of them. Including, of course, his one-game spell as England manager. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Sam Allardyce arrived at Bolton they were in the bottom half of the second tier. Eight years later, he left the club as Premier League stalwarts with a couple of trips to Europe and a string of bloodied noses in their wake. After an ill-fated spell at Newcastle his career since then has been a patchwork of clubs who’ve hired Allardyce because they have to, not necessarily because they want to, and it hasn’t ended well at most of them. Including, of course, his one-game spell as England manager. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices