Friday 4 December 2015 08:57, UK
Sam Allardyce says his days of winding up Arsene Wenger are long gone as the pair prepare to lock horns again on Saturday.
Sunderland go to the Emirates this weekend looking for a third straight victory, but Allardyce has never won an away game at Arsenal - not even during the days when his Bolton sides regularly gave Wenger's teams a bloody nose.
Allardyce admitted in his recent autobiography he enjoyed getting one over on Wenger more than any other manager, but their relationship has improved so much the Black Cats boss is even considering making a cheeky request for some loan players.
"I've never thought anything other than, from a professional level, Arsene Wenger is a top manager," said Allardyce, quoted in several national newspapers on Friday.
"If I have a drink with Arsene, I want to talk about the fact we played so well, and does he have any players he might lend me in January! As long as we have given a good account of ourselves.
"There's managers who got under my skin. I think it was just wind-up stuff that we all get up to. It was a part of my life at that particular time, because I was growing as a manager, my team were growing to be successful."
And Allardyce believes Wenger set the bar so high in his early years at Arsenal, it is difficult for some supporters to accept they have gone 11 years without a Premier League title.
"Because of what Arsene did in the past, because he was that successful in his earlier days [at Arsenal], they can't quite understand why they haven't been that successful again.
"That's why he gets that particular criticism, I think - because of the Invincibles when they went a whole season without losing a game and they won the title and won the cup, and got to the final of the Champions League. How much more difficult it is to do that now? I'd ask, 'Do they really have the spending power?'
"He's certainly the man to build a football club, isn't he? Because they've spent £500m on a stadium and he's still qualifying for the Champions League every year, whereas most clubs...
"It'll be interesting to see what Tottenham's investment will be like when they have to spend £450m-£500m on their stadium."
