Allardyce pays Wenger tribute

But Rovers boss admits they are not the best of friends

By Elliot Ball   Last updated: 2nd October 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Allardyce pays Wenger tribute

Allardyce: Wenger praise

Until football becomes a non-contact sport like basketball then we play within the rules of the game

Sam Allardyce
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Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce has paid tribute to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who he will face on Sunday.

Rovers are away to the Gunners, in a game that can be seen live on Sky Sports 1 and HD1, and it represents Wenger's first match since becoming the longest-serving manager in the club's history.

Despite the duo not seeing eye-to-eye, Allardyce has become the latest manager to praise Wenger's 13-year tenure with the Londoners, claiming the Frenchman 'found his home' when he joined the club back in 1996.

"Anybody that can get into double-figures as a manager these days is achieving a huge amount of success for that particular football club, and I think there's few managers that can stay at a particular football club that long." the Rovers boss said.

"I think Arsene coming from Japan in the beginning found his home at long last and found that he could be allowed to do what he always wanted to do - and that was run a football club his way.

"I think probably elsewhere, outside England, you're not allowed to do that.

Benefit

"But I think in England and particularly at Arsenal as the years have gone by, he's been allowed almost total control of the development of the whole of the football at Arsenal and both have benefited greatly from that.

"So I'm not surprised he's the longest-serving manager Arsenal have had."

Both managers have endured a fractious relationship with each other over the years, originating from Allardyce's physical tactics during his time at Bolton and the former Newcastle boss admitted they are not one to share a bottle of wine after a game.

Allardyce added of their relationship: "It's been interesting - I would hope we would have a mutual respect for each other but other than that it goes no further."

"It's been a regressive nature in the past on how we have played against them but it's always been within the rules and laws of the game and because we've adopted that side sometimes they get a little upset.

"Until football becomes a non-contact sport like basketball then we play within the rules of the game. We always do that and what that has done has brought us results against Arsenal and that's why we have been criticised."