'Allardyce is more suited to Leeds' predicament than Guardiola and Klopp'
In football terms, Sam Allardyce reckons nobody knows the game better – not Pep Guardiola, not Jurgen Klopp, not Mikel Arteta.
That's quite a claim. But if Big Sam saves Leeds United from relegation, he'll become an instant messiah in Yorkshire. And nobody is better-suited to dig them out of their predicament. Not Pep, not Klopp, nor Arteta.
Although his last rescue act at West Brom fell short – he won only four of his 26 games in charge and suffered the first relegation of his managerial career – I have worked with Big Sam in the past and can vouch for his attention to detail.
He was one of the first to introduce things like cryotherapy ice chambers to aid recovery and microscopic stats breaking down every phase of the game, things most clubs take for granted now. And although it is two years since his last job – the longest spell he has been out of the game since starting out as a manager – I'm confident Allardyce won't have got left behind tactically.
What I am worried about is the short window in which he has to save Leeds. I think the dotted line is going to be drawn at around 35 points, so he is going to need two wins or a win and two draws... but I'm not sure where those points are going to come from.
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Manchester City away is a virtual write-off, with City going for the title, and Newcastle at home is a thankless task. Eddie Howe's men have scored five at West Ham, four at Fulham, Everton and Southampton, and they are flying as they go for Champions League football.
Sam Allardyce is back in business (PA)Do you agree with Robbie Savage? Let us know in the comments below!
That leaves West Ham away and Tottenham at home – on paper, Spurs looks their likeliest source of points, but it may be too late by then.
Leeds' real problem is the disarray which led to them sending Big Sam a distress flare in the first place. Three managers in a season – Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia and now Allardyce – is never a healthy sign. It hasn't worked at Southampton (Ralph Hasenhuttl, Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles), nor at Chelsea (Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard) or Tottenham (Antonio Conte, Cristian Stellini and Ryan Mason).
If I had to describe Leeds' season in a single word, I think 'carnage' just about covers it. With Big Sam calling the shots over the last four games, they have a better chance of staying up than under his two predecessors.
But I tipped Leeds as one of my three teams to go down before a ball was kicked last August because I wasn't convinced by their recruitment, and the root cause of the calamity has been the panic emanating from the top.
Whenever a club makes multiple changes of head coach during a season, it's too easy to point the finger at the men in the dugout. What does it say about the strategy in the boardroom, the direction from the top? A good director of football, or sporting director, is essential – but Leeds have parted company with Victor Orta as well.
When things go wrong at a football club, owners should come out and explain why it's gone wrong and the thinking behind those mistakes. It's called transparency. But how often do owners or chairmen break cover, apologise to the fans and admit they got it wrong? Hardly ever. There has to be accountability, and when managers come and go like day and night, the buck stops at the top.
Better late than never, in their desperation to break their fall, Leeds might have got it right by turning to Big Sam.
People are quick to pigeon-hole him and point out he's never won a major trophy – but he took Bolton into Europe, saved Sunderland and Crystal Palace from relegation, steered Everton to safety and led West Ham back into the Premier League at the first attempt.
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Is Big Sam really a match for Pep, Klopp and Arteta? Put it this way: If Leeds collect enough points over the last four games to stay up, none of them could have done any better.
Well deserved, Erling
Erling Haaland received a guard of honour from his Manchester City team-mates on Wednesday (Getty Images)Guards of honour are usually reserved for your wedding day or great sportsmen and women playing their last game. But Erling Haaland deserved his tribute from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola and his team-mates after breaking Alan Shearer's record of 34 goals in a Premier League season.
And it's frightening to think of the records he could go on to break if he stays with City for any length of time. He's playing for the best team, surrounded by the best players creating the most chances of any side in England, if not Europe.
Haaland will go on to break Shearer's record of 260 Premier League goals – and if Harry Kane gets there first, he will top whatever Kane can manage, too.
Dream move for Jude
Jude Bellingham is close to joining Real Madrid (Getty Images)All the smoke signals tell us Jude Bellingham is in advanced talks with Real Madrid. While that may be bad news for Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and any other Premier League club who thought they could afford him, it's a dream move for a kid who is still only 19.
Bellingham was excellent at the World Cup, and his choice of Borussia Dortmund as an ideal place to climb the learning curve after leaving Birmingham was perfect.
He could form part of Real's midfield axis for the next 10 years – as Toni Kroos and Luka Modric near the end of their careers at the Santiago Bernabeu, a combination of Bellingham, Aurelien Tchouameni and Federico Valverde is an exciting prospect.
To those who ask if he is ready for such a big move, my answer is simple: Joining Real Madrid didn't do Gareth Bale (five Champions League winner's medals and three La Liga titles) any harm.
Give Frank time
Frank Lampard could still become a top manager (Getty Images)Frank Lampard is a really good guy with a terrific football brain, and each defeat as Chelsea's caretaker manager will hurt him as much as any supporter. To lose 14 of his last 15 games as a manager, at Everton and then on his encore at Stamford Bridge, is no reflection of his knowledge or pedigree.
Chelsea were awful for 45 minutes at Arsenal on Tuesday night until they found the handbrake. But those hammering Lampard have a short memories.
When Chelsea were under a transfer embargo three seasons ago, he led them into the Champions League – and when he was replaced by Thomas Tuchel in mid-season, they went on to win it. It's far, far too early to write off Lampard as a manager.
Believe in experience
It's been a good month for “old school” managers. Before Sam Allardyce, aged 68, answered Leeds' SOS, Roy Hodgson (aged 75) won four of his first six games back at Crystal Palace. And now Neil Warnock (74) has led Huddersfield to safety in the Championship after they needed snookers to stay up.
You can't beat a bit of experience.
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