Former-West Ham boss Sam Allardyce says he is ‘feeling loved’ at new club Sunderland after taking over the Wearside outfit following Dick Advocaat decision to step down as Black Cats boss. He also criticised the West Ham fans for ‘moaning’.
Allardyce told the Sun on Sunday: “When I was at West Ham my wife would constantly read the supporters’ websites to see what new insults were being fired. It upset her but she couldn’t keep away from the screen.
“Now she’s been reading the Sunderland fans’ sites and she tells me the reaction has been very positive, which makes me very excited to get going.
“Everyone wants to be praised and to feel wanted and I just hope I can give the Sunderland supporters some of the excitement they are looking for.
“It’s nice to be loved, but at West Ham and Newcastle I was faced by passionate fans that made themselves heard if they weren’t happy.
“It wasn’t just me at West Ham, it was every manager that was there. I got it because I was manager at that time, but before that they moaned about Avram Grant, Alan Curbishley, Alan Pardew and Harry Redknapp.”
Allardyce is notorious for building teams that are hard to beat and is accustomed to the Premier League relegation battle, having been there with Bolton and Blackburn amongst others.
Sunderland are currently second from bottom in the Premier League and have failed to win in the top-flight this season. Allardyce may just be facing his biggest challenge of all with the Black Cats.
Can Sam Allardyce keep Sunderland in the Premier League?
