Sam Allardyce has compared himself to Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta and believes that 'there is nobody ahead of him in football terms' following his appointment as Leeds United head coach.
The 68-year-old was officially unveiled as Leeds' new head coach on Wednesday morning, with the Whites announcing at the same time the dismissal of Javi Gracia after just two-and-a-half months in charge.
Gracia lost seven of his 12 Premier League games in charge of the West Yorkshire outfit, who sit 17th in the table and are hovering just above the relegation zone on goal difference.
Allardyce has been out of work since the end of the 2020-21 campaign when his West Bromwich Albion side were condemned to relegation from the Premier League – the first top-flight demotion of his managerial career.
The former England manager has just four games to save Leeds from slipping into the bottom three and will begin his reign with a tricky trip to the Etihad Stadium to face reigning Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday.
Allardyce, whose last game in management was for West Brom against Leeds at Elland Road, has admitted that he was "shocked" to learn of interest from the Whites at such a late stage in the season, but he is relishing the "big opportunity" to try and steer them away from danger.
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Speaking at a press conference about his appointment on Wednesday afternoon, Allardyce said: "It was a shock because this time of the season and there are many managers who had changed hands, the most in the history of the Premier League, I thought it was all over for this season.
"It was only a couple of minutes before I said yes. Because of the situation, I had to rush through the process quickly so I could be here for at least a reasonable lead into Manchester City.
"To try and save this club and keep it in the Premier League is a big responsibility but one I want to take because of who Leeds are."
Allardyce, who has managed over 500 Premier League games and 13 different teams across his 29-year managerial career, believes that he has a greater understanding of the game compared to the likes of Man City's Pep Guardiola – who he will lock horns with on Saturday – Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp and Arsenal's Mikel Arteta.
"Leeds have always known where I am, but it has never materialised until now," said Allardyce. "I might be 68 and look old and antiquated but there's nobody ahead of me in football terms. Not Pep, not Klopp, not Arteta. It's all there with me. They do what they do and I do what I do.
"In terms of knowledge, I am not saying I'm better than them but I'm certainly just as good as they are."
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Allardyce, who will be accompanied by Karl Robinson and Robbie Keane as part of his backroom staff, is hoping to cause a seismic upset at the Etihad on Saturday and has outlined how many points that he believes are required for Leeds to avoid the drop.
"[Taking the Leeds job is] the biggest challenge [of my career] because of the shortness left," said Allardyce. "We need points to pick up because of the fixtures. It's a big challenge (against Man City), the players and I have to take on.
"We will try to go to Man City and do our best to get a result. I can only wait to see what the reaction is once we kick off. There is not a problem with Leeds in possession, but there is a massive problem off it. If they want to stay up, they have to stop conceding. We have to cope out of possession.
"If we are to stay up, then you have to create a shock in the Premier League. Hopefully we can shock a few people by getting the results we need to stay up. I hope we can find six points in four. That would be a really good achievement."
After facing Man City, Allardyce will prepare for his first home game as Leeds boss against Newcastle United, before taking on West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur in their final two games of the season.
Oliver Thomas
