For all the stereotyping of Sam Allardyce as old-fashioned and a luddite, the former England manager was actually quite ahead of his time when it came to technology.
Allardyce was one of the earliest Premier League managers to embrace analytics and used data from ProZone to get the most out of his Bolton team long before the arrival of Okocha, Hierro et al.
So is it any surprise that Big Sam found a way to ensure he could leave his imprint on the national game through technology rather than on-pitch aesthetics?
Dave Thompson/Getty Images
According to the Daily Mail, one of Allardyce’s achievements in his 67-day tenure, aside from that win over Slovakia, was to rename one of the Wi-Fi networks at the national football centre St George’s Park.
So, knowing that his Twitter handle is @OfficialBigSam and his villa in Benidorm is called ‘Big Sam’s Villa’, what do you reckon he went with.
https://twitter.com/_AndyHa/status/781506226517643265
That’s right: BIG SAM’S OFFICE. All caps. In fact, one cap fewer than the 14 he handed out to England players during his 67 days in charge.
But the Mail reports that the FA have acted quickly after parting ways with the manager by mutual consent. That’s right, not only is Big Sam gone, but BIG SAM’S OFFICE is no longer out there either. Hopefully he at least got to keep his trusty printer.
There’s no word yet on whether Gareth Southgate has taken similar measures, or whether he’s waiting to be offered the job on a permanent basis before marking his territory.
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