Sam Allardyce has said he may well have stayed on as West Bromwich Albion manager this season, had the club given him financial backing.
Veteran boss Allardyce departed Albion following the completion of last season, with the club suffering an immediate relegation from the Premier League.
After the 67-year-old's exit, the Baggies then turned to Valerien Ismael who had worked wonders at Barnsley.
The Frenchman led the Tykes to a surprise Championship play-off place, albeit they fell at the semi-final hurdle, and that persuaded Albion chiefs to fork out £2million in compensation for Ismael.
However, barely seven months into a four-year contract Ismael was sacked after a barren run of form that left the team eight points adrift of the automatic promotion spots.
Would Allardyce have taken West Brom straight back up? Let us know in the comments
Reflecting on the club's choice of replacement, Allardyce has now said that he might have stayed in the job had he been promised the £2m warchest that was ultimately spent on enticing Ismael to be his replacement.
"It really surprised me – and I don’t want to criticise anyone in particular – that the club paid £2million in compensation for Barnsley’s manager," Allardyce said, speaking to Ladbrokes.
"There were a host of top managers out of work at the time queuing up for an opportunity like West Brom.
“It’s easy to say in hindsight because it hasn’t worked out for Valerien Ismael at the club, but I think that there are so many names that were better qualified to do the job.
"I had plenty of chats with the club about the financial situation, so to see them pay £2million for that manager really was bizarre.
"If they’d have said to me ‘we’ll give you £2million to spend on players’, it might have been an opportunity for me to stay."
West Brom have since moved to appoint another wily old manager in Steve Bruce.
The 61-year-old was a shock appointment, given his comments on the abuse he received in his previous post at Newcastle United.
But he brings a wealth of know-how at Championship level, having clinched four promotions to the top flight - two with Birmingham and another two with Hull City.
And Allardyce, who like Bruce is a member of the 1,000 club, believes Albion are a safe bet for at least the play-offs this season.
"The positives now if you’re an Albion fan come from Steve Bruce,” Allardyce added.
“He’s been there, seen it, done it, knows what to do. And he’s done it with lesser clubs than West Brom, as well.
“He got Hull City up into the Premier League, he did it with Birmingham. He’s got the experience and the know-how to lift this team. At the very, very least, Steve will get you into the play-offs this season.
“Once he’s got his feet under the table, he will lift that team and get them into the play-offs."
