Wednesday 18 February 2015 14:44, UK
With speculation abound that Sam Allardyce could depart West Ham, we look at what happened when he left his previous clubs...
"I'm not suited to Bolton or Blackburn, I would be more suited to Internazionale or Real Madrid," said Sam Allardyce in September 2010. "It wouldn't be a problem to me to go and manage those clubs because I would win the Double or the league every time.
"Give me Manchester United or Chelsea and I would do the same, it wouldn't be a problem. It's not where I'm suited to, it's just where I've been for most of the time. It's not a problem to take me into the higher reaches of the Champions League or Premier League and would make my job a lot easier in winning it."
Allardyce's high opinion of his credentials may be debatable, but it is difficult to question his record as a Premier League manager. The 60-year-old's results-driven philosophy took Bolton from the old Division One to European nights at the then Reebok Stadium, while he steered Blackburn from the relegation zone to the top ten within 18 months.
Allardyce has brought similar success to West Ham - who briefly flirted with a top-four challenge this season after returning to the top flight in 2012 - but speculation persists that he could be replaced in the summer when his contract expires. Here we look at the 'Allardyce curse', and how previous clubs have struggled following his departure…
Bolton - resigned in 2007
It is quite a remarkable achievement that Allardyce has never left a club in a lower position than when he took over, with Bolton benefiting the most from that statistic.
After guiding Wanderers back into the Premier League in his first full season in charge, Allardyce oversaw four consecutive top-eight finishes as well as a run to the League Cup final in 2004.
Those achievements brought a move to Newcastle in 2007 and Bolton plummeted as a result. Sammy Lee was sacked after losing six of his first nine matches before Gary Megson arrived to stave off relegation by a single point.
The next three seasons saw Wanderers continue to struggle in the bottom half and they were eventually relegated in 2011/12 under Owen Coyle - their third appointment in as many years following Allardyce's exit.
Newcastle - sacked in 2008
After seven successful years at Bolton, Allardyce was sacked just seven months into his reign at Newcastle despite the Magpies sitting comfortably in 11th with 26 points from 21 matches.
An absence of flowing football and a miserable run of three consecutive defeats over Christmas paved the way for the manager's exit, with Kevin Keegan hired as his replacement in mid-January.
Newcastle's Messiah failed to inspire an upturn in fortunes, however, gaining just 17 points from his first 16 games and quitting in September 2008 after just eight months in charge.
Chaos ensued, with Chris Hughton, Joe Kinnear and Alan Shearer all having a stint at the helm before Newcastle dropped into the Championship on the final day of the season. It is difficult to imagine the same scenario happening had Allardyce been given more time.
Blackburn - sacked in 2010
Despite Newcastle's collapse following Allardyce's dismissal, his sacking at Blackburn proved even more calamitous.
Rovers were five points adrift in the relegation zone when they called on Allardyce in December 2008 after a run of six successive defeats under Paul Ince.
The club's form soon picked up as they survived by seven points - the same season Newcastle went down - and a top-ten finish was secured the following campaign.
That wasn't enough to convince new owners Venky's, however, who sacked Allardyce within a month of their buy-out in November 2010 and replaced him with rookie coach Steve Kean.
Kean's inexperience was soon exposed and, despite Blackburn surviving on the final day in 2010/11, they suffered the drop the following year, becoming the third club in a row to lose Allardyce and eventually end up in the Championship.
