Allardyce, 61, strode into the room with a huge smile on his
face and gave forthright answers, as expected, on his appointment as new boss
of the Three Lions.
The former Sunderland manager
insisted England hasn’t “hit rock bottom”
and admitted this “will be the greatest
challenge for me in my long career.”
Asked about his style of play and his somewhat direct tactics
clashing with the now widely-stated DNA of the English FA, who want to be a
passing team, Allardyce shared his belief that he has always adapted his
playing style to the players at his disposal.
“I think choosing styles of systems depends on the players available and
who we are playing. My coaching technique is to try to give players the
opportunity to win football matches, home or away, and make them aware of the
opposition,” Allardyce
said.
“I think the bonding of the team is exceptionally important and trying to
create that team spirit and have some fun. I have enjoyed my life in the game,
this job is the pinnacle and I want to enjoy this the most.”
He also pointed to diminutive forward Jermain Defoe playing
up front on his own last season for Sunderland and the Englishman scoring 18
goals.
Allardyce is still trying to dispel the myth he is a
long-ball merchant and it could take some time to convince England’s fans
despite the overall reaction to his appointment being a positive one.
When asked if Wayne Rooney would still be his captain when
his first game rolls around (World Cup qualifier at Slovakia on September 4) Allardyce
was coy, not confirming if Rooney would indeed be his skipper.
Allardyce also gave some interesting comments when asked
about the possibility of having a winter break in the Premier League and the
former Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and West Ham United
boss was crystal clear in his belief that the PL should take a break.
“I have been an advocate of that for
10 years or more. The demand on players is enormous,” Allardyce said.
“The Premier League is the best league in world so demand has to be on
the players. It would help the Premier League and us at international level if
we could try and achieve it. In my time when we finish at Christmas, in January
and February it is always the most difficult time to get players through.”
With the English national team the youngest in terms of
average age at EURO 2016, Allardyce was asked about the potential of the
players he is inheriting Allardyce said:
“It is not potential anymore, it has to be reality and they have to stand
up and be counted. The young players have a lot of experience now and some has
been bitter. They don’t want to feel like that again,”
“Potential is not a word I want to use, you want the quality player to
produce his best performances immediately. This squad of players is very
experienced and going forward hopefully will produce better.”
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