West Brom should have appointed Chris Wilder instead – Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce left West Brom at the end of the 2020-21 season when the Baggies were relegated and it has been chaos ever since at The Hawthorns.
Valerien Ismael took Allardyce’s place as manager of the club but he was sacked earlier in February after a dismal run of results and uninspiring football.
Steve Bruce took over but he is yet to taste victory or even see his side score a goal in the two games he has managed since.
Allardyce revealed that he was approached to retake the reigns at The Hawthorns but he decided against it and offered his own recommendation.
“I felt that it would be better for somebody else to come in and take over from myself,” the 67-year-old said to Ladbrokes.
“I recommended Chris Wilder. He was hurt, because of what had happened at Sheffield United. Go and get him; he’s going to come back with a point to prove and he’s going to take you back to the Premier League.
“Could I have done the same? Yes, possibly. I just felt that it would have been better for somebody else to come in. That disappointed Sammy Lee and Robbie Stockdale, who were fantastic allies for me.”
No better
If Baggies fans wanted boring football, they would have been happy to keep Ismael in charge over the return of Allardyce.
Admittedly, Bruce might not be much better either as there has been little to get excited about since his arrival but he’s probably the best of the three.
Wilder, however, is a different beast altogether and someone who West Brom should have made a bee-line for when Allardyce left at the end of last season.
He stunned the Premier League with Sheffield United in the first season they were in the top flight with marauding centre-halves causing no end of problems for defenders who had no clue how to defend them.
Whether he could have done the same in the Midlands will be forever unknown but he has turned Middlesbrough around and they now sit above the Baggies in the Championship.
It’s crazy to think they could have gone in and got Wilder for free but chose instead to pay £2million to buy out Ismael’s contract at Barnsley.
In other West Brom news, Simon Jordan has taken aim at the Baggies after their 0-0 draw with Blackburn on Monday night.