Allardyce reacts to ‘massive’ Leeds claim made by Parlour on talkSPORT
Sam Allerdyce has spoken out after a “massive” claim ahead of the Championship run-in for Leeds United.
The Whites have promotion in their grasp despite throwing away three points against Swansea City thanks to two Illan Meslier howlers.
An upcoming clash against Luton Town on Saturday (5 April) will give Daniel Farke’s side the perfect chance to bounce back with a win.
Looking ahead to the game, Ray Parlour shared his verdict, which saw Allerdyce reflect on his career as a manager.
Allerdyce looks ahead to Leeds United clash v Luton
There is heaps of pressure being piled on everyone associated with the Elland Road club, especially after what happened last season.
A drop in form became a slippery slope and ultimately ended in the Whites losing to Southampton in the playoff final at Wembley.
Farke won’t want to face a similar fate this campaign and as a result, a victory at Kenilworth Road against Luton will be huge for his side.
This factor isn’t lost on Parlour, who spoke out on the “massive” nature of the clash live on talkSPORT on 4 April.
He said: “If you’re playing early and you can get one over quickly, get three points then get the pressure back on Sheffield United and Burnley, it will be a massive game for Leeds in that early kick off.”
Former Leeds boss Allerdyce replied: “I can cast my mind back to having to play Southampton away when I was at Bolton, and we needed a result.
“We had to kick off on Monday evening and in the weekend games, all the teams in around us won. It put massive pressure on us, and we managed to get a draw.
“The added pressure meant that the players froze. Whatever happens, they can put extra pressure on Sheffield United and Burnley.”
Leeds must shut out noise v Luton Town
There is no doubt that there is an element of nerves creeping in at LS11, which already seems to be impacting the players on the pitch.
With that being said, there is no excuse with the quality available at Elland Road as to why promotion shouldn’t be achieved with relative ease.
The likes of Joel Piroe and Dan James need to rediscover their goal-scoring form and help fire their side back to the top of the tree in the second tier.
| Dan James | Joel Piroe | |
| Goals | 0 | 0 |
| Assists | 1 | 0 |
The clash coming up against Luton should be straightforward, given the Hatters’ league position of 23rd and their poor form under Matt Bloomfield.
Football doesn’t always work like that and ultimately, it will prove to be a difficult clash against a side who were in the Premier League themselves last season.