Five things you may not have known about Sam Allardyce

Sam Allardyce was appointed as the new England manager on Friday. Here are a few interesting facts about the ex-PNE and Blackpool manager
A large digital display reads "Sam Allardyce New England Manager" at Wembley StadiumA large digital display reads "Sam Allardyce New England Manager" at Wembley Stadium
A large digital display reads "Sam Allardyce New England Manager" at Wembley Stadium

1. Big Sam’s dance moves go viral

Off the back of arguably his greatest achievement as a manager with Sunderland last season, footage of Allardyce dancing to Rihanna’s ‘We Found Love’ in Marbella went viral online during the European Championships and showed a different side to the 61-year-old.

2. His surname traces back to the Scottish Isles

The surname Allardyce is of early medieval Scottish origin. According to the publication The Surnames of Scotland, it is “a territorial name from the old barony of Allardice in the parish of Arbuthnott, Kincardineshire, believed to be so called from the Middle English “aller”, alder, and an uncertain second element, thought to be the Gaelic “deas”, south (facing). Locational surnames, such as this, were originally given to local landowners, and the lord of the manor, and especially as a means of identification to those who left their birthplace to settle elsewhere”.

3. He once plied his trade in America

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After playing for Bolton, Sunderland and Millwall during the first 12 years of his career, Allardyce played for North American Soccer League side Tampa Bay Rowdies during the 1983 season. He only made 11 appearances for the club.

4. His father was a policeman

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph two years ago, Allardyce cited the influence of his father Bob, who served as a policeman for 25 years, and how he taught him the importance of discipline. He said: “My old man always said you only get what you graft for. It doesn’t matter how intelligent you are, how much education you’ve got, you’ll only get there on work rate. My dad was a policeman for 25 years, a sergeant, and he taught me discipline.” This will be music to the ears of England fans as discipline and hard work are two things the Three Lions will have under his reign.

5. His son was once a professional footballer

Centre-back Craig Allardyce followed the footsteps of his father, playing for a total of 11 clubs including Preston, Guangdong Hongyuan, Blackpool, Mansfield and Boston. He briefly worked as a football agent before managing West Lancashire Football League club Turton Town in 2007.