Although it looks like his mission to keep Leeds United up will end in failure, Sam Allardyce at least appears to have made the right impression at Elland Road.
‘Big Sam’ was parachuted in with four games of the 2022/23 Premier League season left to play, and given that they were against Man City, Newcastle United, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur, it was always going to be a tough ask to ensure that the Yorkshire-based club didn’t slip down into the Championship.
Unfortunately for the long-suffering fans of the club, replacing Jesse Marsch with Javi Gracia proved to be an awful decision, and perhaps with longer to work with his players, Allardyce might’ve been able to have pulled off the impossible.
Survival is still a possibility of course, though it would need Leeds to not only beat Spurs, but Bournemouth to beat Everton at Goodison Park and Leicester fail to win against West Ham, with the east Londoners expected to field a much-changed XI given that the Europa Conference League final against Fiorentina is just around the corner.
It’s not impossible but unlikely.
In any event, former Leeds star, Michael Bridges, has noted the impact that Allardyce has had since joining the club.
“Obviously being a part of Leeds United’s history and being with the club through thick and thin this season, I don’t want it to be them (to be relegated),” he said on the GegenPod Football podcast.
“I just feel the decision was made a little too late bringing in Sam Allardyce.
“Because, after speaking to the staff and players around the club at this moment in time, they’ve absolutely loved the environment since Sam, Robbie Keane and Karl Robinson have come in.”
Whether the way he has his charges playing will be enough to see Allardyce retained in the role regardless of what league Leeds are in next season is unknown at this juncture.
Bridges’ words would appear to hint at that precise scenario being something the players wouldn’t be averse to.