Sam Allardyce is the new England manager after the Football Association officially appointed him yesterday, 10 years after he failed to convince them he was the right man for the job.
 The 61-year-old Englishman — who lost out to Steve McClaren 10 years ago after Sven-Goran Eriksson left — signed a two-year contract with his task to guide England to the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia.
 Allardyce — who gained credit for keeping Sunderland in the Premier League last season — replaces Roy Hodgson, who stepped down after England lost to minnows Iceland in the last 16 of Euro 2016 last month.
 Allardyce, whose only piece of silverware came at the beginning of his managerial career with an Irish League title at Limerick City, couldn’t hide his joy after at last getting the job he had coveted all his long managerial career.
 “I am extremely honoured to be appointed England manager especially as it is no secret that this is the role I have always wanted,” said Allardyce in a statement issued by the FA.
 “For me, it is absolutely the best job in English football. I will do everything I can to help England do well and give our nation the success our fans deserve. Above all, we have to make the people and the whole country proud.
 “While my main focus will be on the senior team and getting positive results, I want to add my influence to the great work being done across the development teams at St. George’s Park — a facility I have used with my previous clubs. I know we have talented, committed players and it is time for us to deliver.”
 The FA said Allardyce, who became favourite once Under-21 coach Gareth Southgate said he wasn’t interested in the job and Arsene Wenger said he wanted to see out his contract at Arsenal, had been the unanimous choice of the three-man panel deployed to select the manager.
 They had also spoken to Steve Bruce, who is now favoured to replace Allardyce at Sunderland as rumours abound he has resigned from Hull, whilst United States’ German coach Jurgen Klinsmann and Eddie Howe of Bournemouth had also been mentioned as being on a four-man shortlist.
 “Following a comprehensive and structured process, The Football Association is delighted to confirm Sam Allardyce as England manager,” read the FA statement.
 The highly respected 61-year-old has signed an initial two-year contract and takes up the position with immediate effect following a successful spell retaining Sunderland’s status in the Premier League.
 “Allardyce’s first match in charge will be a friendly fixture at Wembley Stadium on September 1. Allardyce arrives with a proven track record of getting the best results out of the teams he has managed and a strong reputation as a forward-thinker with progressive ideas,” the FA statement added.
 The FA said Allardyce, who was once accused by Jose Mourinho of getting his West Ham side to play “19th century football” though he retracted that comment a year later, has been set a number of tasks aside from reaching the finals in Russia.
 “Alongside his primary target of qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Allardyce has a mandate to shape a strong, purposeful team identity and maximise the performance potential of a young, talented England squad at a major tournament,” read the statement.
 “Allardyce is also charged with helping (FA technical director Dan) Ashworth integrate and strengthen The FA’s elite performance and coaching programme across the England senior and development teams at St. George’s Park.”

Five facts on Sam Allardyce

Big Sam
Blunt talking is his style — reflected in his autobiography Big Sam — and no surprise after a playing career where uncompromising and no-nonsense would be the attributes most commonly used to describe him as a central defender. Former Wimbledon and Sheffield United manager Dave Bassett quipped: “He was what I called a ball-playing defender... If he wasn’t playing with the ball he was playing with your b***s.” Enjoyed his best spell as a player at Bolton Wanderers — he later established his reputation as a manager in taking the unfashionable side to the League Cup final and to the top tier. He stayed with the club for nine years.
 
It’s a fair cop
Allardyce’s father Bob was a policeman who rose to the post of sergeant. “My old man always said you only get what you graft for,” he told The Daily Telegraph in 2014. “It doesn’t matter how intelligent you are, how much education you’ve got, you’ll only get there on work rate. My dad was a policeman for 25 years, a sergeant, and he taught me discipline. Any problems on our estate were always sorted out by Bob Allardyce. If we got into any trouble we’d be in trouble with my old man. So discipline was everything. Getting up for work on time, don’t be late, shave, don’t let anyone down. We lack a lot of discipline today. It’s society.”
 
Bet your house on him
Had Allardyce reached the level he did as a player today he would have been more than adequately paid. However, in his day, he had to cast around with an eye on how to supplement his playing income. He bought up modest properties in Bolton, doing them up before selling them on. “We modernised terraced houses. Buy the place for £6,000. It didn’t have a damp-proof course and needed rewiring, so you’d do a rip-out job, revamp it and sell them for £10,000 to £12,000. I did a lot of the mortgages during the season and in the summer, I’d be in there with a sledgehammer, knocking down walls,” he told The Daily Telegraph.
 
Finds his rhythm at Limerick
Rafael Benitez and Allardyce have had a running feud for years. Not the least of the perceived slights was when Benitez claimed Allardyce had never won silverware — wrong because ‘Big Sam’ won the 1992 League of Ireland title as player/manager of Limerick City. The experience Allardyce had there marked him, not only because he learnt about management but about the tough side of life as the city had many poverty-stricken neighbourhoods where local priest — and chairman of the football club — Father Joe Young played a key role in giving youngsters some hope. “The collar (priesthood) has mighty powers there. Watching Joe, with his faith, was a massive eye-opener for me. He looked after one of the poorest parishes in Limerick, working with people who were struggling, down and out, but it never got him down. We had a brilliant time together.”
 
Not stuck in the past
Despite Jose Mourinho once describing Allardyce’s style of football as being “stuck in the 19th century” the Englishman rejects that and is also an admirer of ‘The Special One’ and Alex Ferguson. He says that unlike managers such as Benitez and Arsene Wenger, they are capable of adapting their teams’ style of play according to the opposition they are facing.