Newcastle Manager's First Interviews - Did They Deliver On Their Promises?

7. Sam Allardyce

"I'm ambitious and I know this club is. It hasn't had the best success but I feel I can turn it round. "I've left a football club that is very, very healthy so when my time to leave Newcastle does come I hope I have done the same here. "I hope I can bring the success that the fans are so desperate for. "I'm not saying I can get it right at the flick of a switch. If there are some sticky times I hope we can get over them for the best of the supporters and me. "When I beat big clubs their manager used to have to come up with an excuse for us beating them and that was because we played long-ball football. "When they do it at Manchester United they call it a long pass. "There have been too many injuries. They seem to be forever talking about the everlasting injury list. One of the first things I will have to look at are why those injuries have happened. "Far too many players have had too many injuries too often."

That ambition thing again. It seems that Sam Allardyce was sold the same pack of lies that Kevin Keegan was. Nevertheless, the fact that Big Sam was sacked after only 24 games says it all. Yes the club were 11th and arguably wouldn't have gone on to be relegated the following season if he was still in charge, but the football he played simply didn't fit the ethos of the club one bit. It was horrible to watch, not matter how much he felt the need to defend it, and meant that he was never going to deliver on his promise of bringing success back to St James' Park. Furthermore, his signings didn't exactly pay off either. The likes of David Rozehnal, Cacapa, Geremi and Alan Smith could all be considered as flops. The other main thing to take from his press conference is his promise to rectify the injury problems at the club. It's a disease that has blighted many manager and Big Sam's scientific approach to management didn't prevent it at the time and hasn't helped to rectify it since. Sam was one of, if not the biggest flop in United's modern history. Did He Deliver? NO!