#2 His father was a policeman
Big Sam has often said that his father, who was a police sergeant, taught him the importance of discipline and hard work. “My old man always said you only get what you graft for,” he said. “It doesn’t matter how intelligent you are, how much education you’ve got, you’ll only get there on work-rate.
“My dad was a policeman for 25 years, a sergeant, and he taught me discipline. Any problems on our estate were always sorted out by Bob Allardyce. So discipline was everything.”
Allardyce’s family was not well off with the former Sunderland manager admitting that they could not afford a fridge or central heating. However, it did not get into Sam’s way who was born around factories but developed into a no-nonsense defender in his playing days. The England fans will have something to cheer about as discipline and hard work are two things England have lacked in the past and Big Sam would offer both as the England manager.
