Sam Allardyce to instantly anger entire Leeds fanbase over ‘big club’ admission
Leeds United supporters are already less than the biggest fans of Sam Allardyce.
The 71-year-old moved to Elland Road in 2023 with the remit of keeping the Whites in the Premier League as a replacement for Javi Gracia.
He was afforded just four matches to turn the tide, but found the LS11 outfit sitting 17th in the table when he was appointed.
Allardyce didn’t pick up a single victory in Yorkshire, losing three of his games against Manchester City, West Ham and Tottenham.
That saw Leeds relegated to the Championship and created a poor view of the manager among supporters, something which he hasn’t helped three years later.
Sam Allardyce fails to name Leeds United as a ‘big club’
Things didn’t go well for the Englishman at Elland Road as he took the record for the shortest managerial tenure for a Premier League manager.
His 30 days in charge were hardly anything to write home about, especially when compared to the days of Marcelo Bielsa.
It appears that the ex-England boss doesn’t look back fondly on his spell in charge of the Whites after his recent comments.
Allardyce has spoken to Sky Sports about Tottenham’s appointment of Igor Tudor and the sacking of Thomas Frank last week.
The ex-Leeds boss suggested that it is difficult to manage a “big club” like Spurs, while naming the biggest sides he has managed.
He said: “Thomas experienced what it’s like to manage a big club for the first time.
“It’s different. I’ve done it at Everton, Newcastle, West Ham. There’s a different type of mentality and pressure.“
Somehow, he missed his time in LS11 off this list, although he may have forgotten about it, just like many fans have done.
Are Leeds really a so-called ‘big club’?
There is no true definition of what makes a club bigger than another, but history certainly plays a key role.
The Whites have a fine past and have won things dating all the way back to the 1920s, and have built a fanbase as good as almost anyone else.
They’re no Manchester United or Liverpool in terms of success, but in their own right have picked up major honours to be proud of.
| Year(s) | Trophy | Times won |
| 1968–69, 1973–74, 1991–92 | First Division | 3 |
| 1923–24, 1963–64, 1989–90, 2019–20, 2024–25 | Second Division/ Championship | 5 |
| 1971–72 | FA Cup | 1 |
| 1967–68 | League Cup | 1 |
| 1969, 1992 | Charity Shield | 2 |
| 1967–68, 1970–71 | Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 2 |
Allardyce should know that and have thought before he spoke to name the “big clubs” he has managed, and added Leeds to that list.
Supporters in LS11 will be annoyed by his comments and are likely to be joined by the likes of Sunderland, Bolton and Blackburn after being ignored.
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