Dale Tempest believes his old Huddersfield Town teammate Sam Allardyce would be an excellent next England manager.
Sunderland chief Allardyce has rocketed to the top of the betting at around 7/2 following the resignation of Roy Hodgson at Euro 2016.
He is ahead of the likes of Jurgen Klinsmann and Glen Hoddle and Skybet chief Tempest – a striker at Town alongside defender Allardyce in the mid 1980s – believes that is no bad thing.
“I never thought I would be saying this, but I’ve got my fingers crossed for my old mate Big Sam to be the next England manager,” said Tempest.
“He is favourite for the job and it could be a case of right place, right time.
“It feels to me there is a push for some straightforward talking and thinking on the England front, and Sam would certainly fit the bill on that score.
“People have tended to talk about him preferring a long-ball game, but when Sam has had better players to work with throughout his career he has played some very stylish football as well.”
Tempest, like most football followers in this country, was dismayed by the nature of England’s defeat and exit to Iceland in France, and he feels Allardyce proved in saving Sunderland from the Premier League drop that he’s a genuine contender to guide the national side.
“If England are chasing a game, like they were against Iceland, I don’t think you would see them static and passing the ball across the back under Sam’s management,” added Tempest.
“There would have been a 6ft 4in centre forward on and they would have been piling in to put the opposition under pressure.
“I really do think he has good quality to offer and the job he did at Sunderland last season was nothing short of a miracle.
“He went and took charge of a team of supposedly top professionals who were massively underperforming, brought in one or two unheard of players and quickly created a system and style that suited the squad.
“That’s why I’ve got my fingers crossed and it might just be the right time to let Big Sam take the reins.”
