Sam Allardyce admits he took a leaf out of Sir Alex Ferguson's playbook by comparing himself to Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp at his Leeds United unveiling. The former England boss created headlines after almost two years out of management when he insisted he was 'up there' with the managers of both Liverpool and Manchester City.
Allardyce was called upon as a survival specialist to replace Javi Gracia in the Elland Road dugout with just four matches remaining. Leeds have picked up a point from encounters with Manchester City and Newcastle United, and could be relegated with a defeat at West Ham on Sunday.
Following days of speculation, Allardyce was appointed on May 3 and took his first media conference as the interim United boss. The 68-year-old admits he always intended to make the comparison to Guardiola and Klopp to act as a 'diversion' to the team's struggles amid a five-match losing run.
