Crystal Palace manager Sam Allardyce says his friend Sir Alex Ferguson encouraged him to return to football, after he was sacked by England.
Allardyce was sacked by England under controversial circumstances due to ill-judged remarks he made during filmed meetings with undercover journalists – and claims that it was Manchester United legend and friend Alex Ferguson who encouraged him to return to football.
Big Sam admits that he was an “idiot” to lose the England job, and was back in management just three months later – after a talk from Alex Ferguson.
“Fergie invited me to a game,” Allardyce told The Times and Daily Mail.
“He told me to get up and get back out there. He’s a man of great wisdom. The more people like that support you, the quicker you recover.
“The only thing I could do to help myself was jump back into the game. I needed to do it for my own rehabilitation.
“It was the only way I could try to put what had happened with England behind me. Otherwise I’d have been pondering too much. It would still be playing on my mind, simmering, seething.”
Allardyce also admitted that he could not watch what would have been his first home game as England manager – claiming that he attempted to watch, but could only last a few minutes before he had to switch the channel.
“I maybe lasted 15, 20 minutes,” he said. “But I couldn’t continue. I had to turn it off and watch something else.
“It was Wembley and I hadn’t even had the opportunity to get a game under my belt there. That would have been a big moment for me. It was a gut-wrencher, that.”
Many fans feel that Big Sam was the best man for the England job – and will be disappointed with what happened, but it seems there will be no way back to the hotseat at Wembley, despite the pep talk from Alex Ferguson.
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