If time is in short supply for Sam Allardyce, then confidence certainly is not. The 68-year-old knows his way through a press conference like the back of his hand after more than 30 years on the management beat and it showed at Thorp Arch on Wednesday.
A rudimentary analysis of the cross-section of Leeds United fans on social media suggested Allardyce has a mountain to climb in proving he is the right man for the job. And yet, after so long in the game and reaching (briefly) the pinnacle of coaching in England, you sense Allardyce knows exactly how to draw spectators in.
The veteran has absolute faith in his ability on the training pitch and in the arena, but the only doubt which seemed to creep from him was the little time he has to make the gains Leeds need. If the press conference began with a muted entrance, once Allardyce drew the smiles and chuckles he wanted he was off and away with swagger and a little twinkle in the eye.
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“How you doin’?” Allardyce’s opening remark was informal, laid back, conversational and friendly. The new Leeds boss was not here for the buttoned-up, nervous approach, his experience kept him relaxed with members of the media he remembers from his stints in the north east.
There were the quips about Robbie Keane being unable to shut up, a quickfire call for a fine against an alarming mobile and an admission he would need to keep his Covid barcode topped up after missing a jab to take the job. It was the light-hearted stuff which lightened the mood and brought the media onside.
Allardyce knew the strings he was pulling, even acknowledging the bold headlines he had graciously doled out with professions of his matching Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta for ability. It wasn’t just the journalists he was trying to charm, there were little nuggets thrown for the supporters too.
Mentions of Keane’s through-and-through love for United and Allardyce’s own memories of facing Allan Clarke at Elland Road are the breadcrumbs which humanise and win fans over. There was a steeliness to the former England boss too.
He’s a competitor and while work has been hard to come by in recent years, Allardyce has not been emasculated by his time in the wilderness. There were barbed comments to the judge who denied Sammy Lee employment, the bolshy comments about Guardiola et al and a forthright admission about the medium term at Elland Road.
If he were offered the job beyond these four games he would not simply say yes out of desperation. No, Allardyce laid out his demands right away, before a ball is even kicked.
The team would need serious summer investment for him to take it on. This pensioner doesn’t fancy a season-long relegation fight. If you want him, you have to surround him with the quality capable of moving up the division.
The new boss was careful with his pauses and thought through what he was saying. Just as you thought, with the passing of time, Allardyce might have moved on from past glories you were reminded of how much his previous escape acts mean to him.
Allardyce reeled off multiple, defining results from his dogfights with Everton, Crystal Palace and Sunderland. He may not be here for long, but you can be sure this four-match firefight will mean an awful lot to him.
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