Kevin Davies says Sam Allardyce will inspire England players
Friday 22 July 2016 22:22, UK
Kevin Davies has backed Sam Allardyce to unite the England squad and believes his ambition and drive can inspire the players to better performances.
Davies played under him at Bolton and helped the club obtain European football as they enjoyed a spell towards the top end of the Premier League table.
The 39-year-old was impressed with the harmony Allardyce brought to a Wanderers squad comprised of multiple nationalities.
Some England players have been accused of lacking the passion and desire needed to reach their peak while on international duty.
With his experience at Bolton in mind, Davies thinks Allardyce - credited for being a great motivator - will get the players he picks focused on wanting to succeed as much as he does.
He told Sky Sports News HQ: "Straight away I had a rapport with him. Sam's one of these managers you want to play for and he's got that character about him.
"He's a big personality and he knows exactly when to push you, when to give you the carrot and when to crack the whip.
"I've worked under a dozen or so managers and his man-management skills are second to none. I enjoyed my four or five years working underneath him.
"He gets the best out of you as individuals but also as a team. The first thing that strikes you about him is his ambition and his determination to be the best.
"That filters through to the players. We had 18 or 19 nationalities in the Bolton dressing room at one time but he found a way of bringing us all together.
"He galvanises a squad of players and if anyone goes against that, they're quickly found out and they could find themselves out of the squad. He won't suffer any fools.
"We want to see what Wales did, what Iceland did, Portugal, Italy. They had a real togetherness and got on well on and off the pitch. That's something Sam really specialises in.
"He will pick players not only based on their ability but for their personalities as well. He will look at the whole chemistry within the team as well and I firmly believe he will be a success."
Sky Sports pundit Tony Cottee is convinced the FA have made the best choice they could and added: "I'm really pleased.
"First and foremost, I think we should always pick the best Englishman available to be the manager of England.
"Obviously there were others in the running - the likes of Steve Bruce and Glenn Hoddle, who would also have been good choices - but I've always been a fan of Sam.
"He's always got the best out of his teams and he will certainly get this England squad well organised and I think we'll see an improvement on what went on in the summer.
"Ultimately professional football is about winning and we need to get closer to winning with England.
"I know they didn't perform in the summer for whatever reason but they are capable of doing much, much better.
"Sam will get them organised, he'll get a strong back four in place and every player will know exactly what they're doing. That's half the battle."
