SWANNY'S WORLD OF SPORT: A great day for UK journalism, an even better day for English football

Sam Allardyce's departure was a great day for UK journalism and an even better day for English football.
Homer Simpson.Homer Simpson.
Homer Simpson.

It won’t seem like it to the dolts at the Football Association who rushed to appoint a charmless character with a suspect background to the England manager’s job right now.

It won’t seem like it either to fans of Bolton FC, his one remaining fanbase in the UK, but trust me going now before he could drag his country futher into disrepute should be seen as a good thing and a triumph for the Daily Telegraph’s investigative journalism.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Allardyce is a braying oaf. What on earth possessed the FA’s technical director Dan Ashworth to appoint him in the first place is beyond me.

Ashworth’s own position should now be questioned as should that of Martin Glenn, the chief executive of the biggest football organisation in the land who admits he knows nothing about the sport.

But what we do know about chief executives and well-paid directors in this country is they will cling on to their jobs by taking the credit, but refusing to accept the blame.

The only positive I could see when Allardyce was appointed was the sheer unbridled joy he displayed at securing his dream job.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He’s a patriot no doubt, but not a big enough patriot to avoid embarrassing his nation by declining to chase financial supplements to top a salary, which at £3 million a year was already absurdly high.

That video taken by the brilliant undercover reporters was damning. Allardyce couldn’t have appeared any more unattractive.

Arrogance, avarice and delusions of grandeur concerning his command of the English language (his claim to be a ‘keynote speaker was hilarious as he’s about as eloquent as Homer Simpson) provided a check list of eveything you’d not want in a public figure.

Allardyce was lucky to survive a Panorama expose on bung-taking in football a decade ago. You didn’t need to do due diligence too deep to find reasons to be wary of Allardyce.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

But then Ashworth is way out of his depth dealing with football at this level. Performing solidly at a yo-yo club like West Brom is not a natural apprenticeship to be the boss of the boss of the national side.

Typically some football folk charged to protect one of their own by erroneously accusing the Daily Telegraph of a fishing expedition. Some probably have plenty to hide.

It’s also inevitable Allardyce will return to top-flight club football in the near future. Morals are hard to find in the world of professional football where cheating in many forms is sadly seen as part of the game.

Allardyce has the hide of an elephant so taunts from fans won’t bother him.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sunderland would take him back tomorrow given whan a mess David Moyes is making of their club.

I don’t care about that. I care about the England team and they are better off without this awful character.