Sam Allardyce vents his frustration at Sammy Lee drama in first Leeds United press conference
Sam Allardyce has vented his frustration at the decision not to allow Sammy Lee to join his coaching staff at Leeds United because he’s on jury service.
The Times reported (2 May) that Allardyce wanted the 64-year-old to join him at Elland Road, but Lee wasn’t allowed to take the role in West Yorkshire due to his current commitments with the UK’s justice system.
Reporting live from Allardyce’s first press conference on Wednesday (3 May), Daily Mail reporter David Coverdale shared his reaction to the decision, with the former England manager describing it as “very poor”.
He wrote: “Allardyce on Sammy Lee not being able to come in because he is on jury service: ‘The judge has left Sammy unemployed. I find that very poor.'”
Nightmare
Wherever Big Sam goes, Lee usually follows, but for the most unthinkable reason, this will not be the case with Leeds United.
The fact that Lee couldn’t take the role at Elland Road because of jury service is almost laughable at this stage and just sums up the whole situation that the club find itself in right now.
Joking aside though, Allardyce will be very frustrated that he can’t have his first-choice coaching team with him for possibly his hardest escapology act yet in his 17 seasons in the Premier League.
Leeds are in dire trouble right now, and the former England boss will need to get a tune out his new players from the very first training session.
Not having his right-hand man there with him will be a bitter pill to swallow, and his comments about Lee effectively being unemployed are a fair assessment.
Allardyce will have to fight this war by himself, and it doesn’t get off to an easy start with a horrible trip to Manchester City awaiting on the horizon.
In other Leeds United news, the new Whites boss now has the “biggest of nightmares for a head coach” according to Phil Hay as Sam Allardyce arrives.