Rovers sack Allardyce

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Blackburn Rovers have announced that Sam Allardyce has been sacked as part of the 'wider plans' of the club's new owners.
The former Ewood Park manager has surprisingly departed the 13th-placed Premier League side along with assistant Neil McDonald, and first-team coach Steve Kean has filled the void for the 'immediate future'.
There had been rumours about Allardyce's position after The Venky's Group, Blackburn's owners, completed a takeover of the one-time Premier League champions on 19th November.
It was reported that the ex-Bolton and Newcastle boss was unhappy that large sums of money would not be made available for transfers in the January market, while there were suggestions Venky's were not happy with the club's on-field style.
A statement on Blackburn's official website read: "The Venky's Group, owners of Blackburn Rovers Football Club, has today confirmed the departure of manager Sam Allardyce and assistant manager Neil McDonald with immediate effect.
"First-team coaching duties will be taken on by Steve Kean (currently first-team coach) for the immediate future.
"We have taken this decision as part of our wider plans and ambitions for the club.
"We would like to put on record our thanks to Mr Allardyce for his contribution to Blackburn Rovers Football Club."
Allardyce, whose final match in charge was Sunday's 2-1 defeat to North West rivals Bolton, was appointed as Rovers manager in the December of 2008 on a three-year deal after he had left Newcastle at the beginning of that year.
The now 56-year-old then went on to help Blackburn to a 15th-placed finish in the top flight in the 2008/09 season, despite criticism of his tactics.
Rovers finished in 10th position in the last campaign, while they also reached the semi-finals of the Carling Cup before suffering an aggregate defeat to Aston Villa.
Allardyce's departure comes just one week after Chris Hughton became the first Premier League manager to leave his job this season after he was surprisingly sacked by Newcastle.
And Hughton has now been installed by some bookmakers as the favourite to be named as the new manager of Blackburn, although Martin Jol, who quit Ajax last week, is also thought to be a contender.
Next Permanent Blackburn Manager Next Permanent Manager: Hughton, C. 10/1
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Fergie - Big Sam axe stupid

Sir Alex Ferguson has branded Blackburn Rovers' decision to sack manager Sam Allardyce as 'absolutely ridiculous'.
Allardyce was surprisingly dismissed by Blackburn's new owners Venky's on Monday and he admits to still being 'confused' as to the reasons for his departure.
Reports have claimed a difference of opinion regarding January transfer targets and there are also suggestions that Venky's want to see a more entertaining style of football on show at Ewood Park.
Manchester United boss Ferguson was stunned by the news of Allardyce's exit and believes it 'confounds common sense'.
Ferguson told Sky Sports 1: "He phoned me at 3.10pm today saying 'can I have a cup of tea tonight?' because he was coming to the game. Then he phones me at half past four and says 'I've been sacked'.
"I've never heard of such a stupid decision in all my life, it's absolutely ridiculous. I don't know what they're doing up there, but deary me.
"It confounds common sense to be honest with you. Absolutely ridiculous.
"I wouldn't like to follow him!"
Allardyce's sacking comes just days after Fabio Capello had suggested he would be a front-runner to replace him as England coach after Euro 2012.
Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the LMA, said: "When new owners take over a club, sadly, the manager's position often hangs by a thread.
"To Sam's great misfortune this has now happened twice and, on both occasions, it has been extremely difficult to understand the thinking behind the dismissal.
"It is ironic that one minute Sam can be proposed as the next England manager and the next, he finds himself out of work."
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Big Sam shocked by Rovers sack

Sam Allardyce has expressed his shock at being sacked as manager of Blackburn.
Rovers were taken over by The Venky's Group in November and the new owners confirmed on Monday that Allardyce and assistant manager Neil McDonald would be leaving the club with immediate effect.
Although Rovers lost 2-1 at Bolton on Sunday, they sit 13th in the Premier League so the news has come as a surprise to many, not least Allardyce.
"I am very shocked and disappointed to be leaving Blackburn Rovers," he said in a statement on the League Managers' Association official website.
"I am extremely proud to have managed this club and I enjoyed a fantastic relationship with the players, my staff and the supporters during my time in charge.
"I now wish them and the football club every success for the future."
Allardyce was appointed in December 2008 and led Blackburn from the relegation zone to a 15th-placed finish before coming 10th in his first full season in charge.
The former Bolton boss, now 56, was touted as a potential successor to England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2006 before being given the Newcastle job in May 2007.
Mike Ashley took over the Magpies just a month later and Allardyce was forced to leave the club by mutual consent in January 2008.
"When new owners take over a club, sadly, the manager's position often hangs by a thread," added Richard Bevan, chief executive of the LMA.
"To Sam's great misfortune this has now happened twice and, on both occasions, it has been extremely difficult to understand the thinking behind the dismissal.
"It is ironic that one minute Sam can be proposed as the next England manager and the next, he finds himself out of work.
"He is widely acknowledged within the game as one of the most progressive and forward thinking managers, embracing new concepts and technologies to create an environment which leads to success for his club.
"It will not be long before Sam, with his exceptional management experience, is back in a managerial post."
Next Permanent Blackburn Manager Next Permanent Manager: Curbishley, A. 8/1
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Roberts feels sorry for Sam

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Blackburn striker Jason Roberts insists he would never have wished for Sam Allardyce to get the sack despite their fractious working relationship.
Allardyce has surprisingly left Ewood Park with immediate effect as part of the 'wider plans and ambitions' of the club's owners, The Venky's Group.
It could be suggested that the former Bolton and Newcastle manager's departure is good news for Roberts after his ex-boss said in November that they do not get on.
But the striker, who has been limited to just eight first-team appearances this season, has been taken aback by Allardyce's dismissal.
Roberts told Sky Sports News: "I just heard it now and couldn't believe it. I don't think anybody saw it coming."
He added: "I'm shocked and disappointed for the manager."
Roberts speculated that Blackburn's direct style of play under Allardyce may have been a factor in the dismissal, saying: "It is polarising the way we play. Some people are turned off by our tactics."
And he said: "Even though we never got on, I would never have wished him to get the sack."
Next Permanent Blackburn Manager Next Permanent Manager: Jones D 13/2
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Allardyce reeling from sacking

Sam Allardyce is still waiting for the reality to sink in after being given the boot by Blackburn on Monday.
The manager, along with assistant Neil McDonald, was shown the door by Rovers following last month's takeover of the club by Indian company The Venky's Group.
Allardyce, who contended with financial restraints during his two-year stint at the helm at Ewood Park, had managed to guide Blackburn to a current 13th place in the Premier League this season.
And the 56-year-old admits he is still feeling perplexed by his sacking, telling Sky Sports News: "That's the world of football as it is. It hasn't really been explained to me and I'm really confused in my own mind at the moment.
"But the reality will kick in in a couple of days. For now it's just about me thanking everybody at Blackburn Rovers.
"I've had a fantastic two years there. I've really enjoyed my time with everybody and how well we did with the circumstances (under which) I took over and how we've helped the club going forward.
"Unfortunately it is no more. It's up to them now whether they take the club forward. I'm not a part of it and I'm very disappointed about that. But the club did need to be sold."
Blackburn were unable to follow up a 3-0 triumph over Wolves when they travelled to Bolton on Sunday, suffering a 2-1 defeat at the Reebok Stadium.
But Allardyce does not believe Rovers' results this term had any bearing on his sacking, adding: "I don't think so. I think we're on a really good run and we were just a minute or two away from getting a result again."
The manager, who was in charge at Newcastle before taking the Blackburn post in 2008, does not expect to be out of work for long.
He added: "I look forward to working in football again, very shortly I hope."
Next Permanent Blackburn Manager Next Permanent Manager: O'Neill, M. 8/1
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Salgado backs boss for England

Michel Salgado believes Sam Allardyce would be the ideal candidate to replace Fabio Capello as England boss.
The current coach of the Three Lions is set to step aside after Euro 2012, ending a four-year reign.
Speculation is already mounting regarding who will succeed Capello, with numerous names offered as possible choices.
Among those to have been mentioned in the past is Rovers manager Allardyce, who has plenty of Premier League experience behind him.
Spanish defender Salgado believes the Football Association could do a lot worse than give his boss a call when the job becomes free, with Allardyce able to boast all the attributes required to coach at the highest level.
He told the Lancashire Telegraph: "Who is better for England than an English manager who understands the English mentality and knows everything about the English game, its strengths and weaknesses?
"He did a great job with Bolton. He is doing a great job with Blackburn Rovers.
"He hasn't had the money to sign the big players. You know the talent of the manager when he has a small batch of players and you are a competitive team.
"The job he's done over the last few years has been magnificent. He is one of the reasons I came here to England. I spoke with Ivan Campo and he said to me: 'Go, because he likes to work with experienced players'.
"Sam was great. He told me, 'okay, don't hurry, take your time, get used to the British way of life and the club and the style of play because it is so different to Spain'."
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Big Sam defends Toon time

Sam Allardyce has defended his Newcastle United tenure ahead of Blackburn Rovers' trip to St James' Park on Wednesday night.
The Rovers tactician spent just eight months on Tyneside having built his reputation following an impressive eight-year spell with Bolton Wanderers.
Allardyce won just eight of his 24 games in charge of The Magpies losing 10 before being sacked after failing to win over the Newcastle faithful.
The 56-year-old insists he was not given enough time by the club's hierarchy, although he has no bitterness towards the club for how he was treated.
"I have proved most of the time that when I get a football club it improves from where it was," explained Allardyce.
"That was going be the case at Newcastle but I was not given enough time, but there is no bitterness towards the club.
"I'm not sure that apart from Arsene (Wenger) and Sir Alex (Ferguson) anyone else has managed at this level for as long as I have.
"I take a huge amount of pleasure in having been able to sustain my ability in the best league in the world."
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Big Sam calls for more of same

Sam Allardyce feels Blackburn will be raking in the points if they continue to produce performances like their one against Chelsea.
Rovers took a surprise early lead at Ewood Park through Benjani's headed effort, but were ultimately unable to withstand a fight-back from the Premier League champions as Nicolas Anelka equalised before Branislav Ivanovic grabbed a last-gasp winner.
While disappointed not to take anything from the tight encounter, Allardyce insists Rovers' display is heartening going into their next games.
"If we can continue with that level of performance we should be alright, we should start picking three points up," Allardyce told Sky Sports News.
"It's hard to take at the moment that we've actually lost the game.
"We have to take it on the chin though and for me it's about lifting the players and showing them what a positive performance they gave in all departments today.
"So we have to just take this one today and try not to let it get us down too much."
Benjani put the hosts ahead in the 21st minute after he and Mame Biram Diouf had already come close only to be foiled by Blues goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Allardyce feels they could have drawn first blood before Benjani's strike, adding: "We could have scored before that. Petr Cech made two very, very good saves before we actually scored.
"We deserved to go one-up and one-all at half-time wasn't too bad. But seeing the game out is very important and unfortunately we couldn't do that."
Allardyce lamented a golden opportunity which went begging in the second half when substitute Jason Roberts fired a straight-forward shot wide.
"We had the golden chance from Jason really," he said.
"I think he was very unfortunate it didn't go into the goal as he got Cech to dive the wrong way but just put it wide.
"That's the difference, they go up the other end and finish us off."
Blackburn are still lagging in the bottom half of the standings after Saturday's result, and Allardyce admits strong performances are no use to his side if they do not secure the points to go with them.
"Good performances are OK, but without the points it makes life very difficult when you see where we are in the table," he added.
"You've got to catch up somewhere along the line. We should have been sitting in 13th, 14th place by now but we're lagging behind.
"Performances have suggested we should have got them but we haven't and that's the reality."
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Sam Allardyce to get £6million to spend from Indian takeover of Blackburn Rovers

Kentaro, which specialises in television rights and football event management, has helped broker the deal between Rovers and Venky’s, the preferred supplier to McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Hut in India.
But while Kentaro is expected to be retained by Venky’s in an advisory capacity should the takeover be completed, its multi-media expertise is understood to be the key area which the prospective Indian owners are keen to exploit due to the rocketing interest in the Premier League in India.
Rovers chairman John Williams and manager Allardyce have been told that their positions will be safe under the new regime, with both men made aware of the Kentaro-SEM link should they wish to pursue it as a supplementary channel for player recruitment.
SEM currently represents Premier League footballers including John Obi Mikel, Stephen Warnock and Kieran Gibbs, while the group also has links to emerging nations in world football.
Allardyce, who was sacked by Newcastle within seven months of Mike Ashley’s takeover at St James’ Park in 2007, has told his backroom staff at Ewood Park that the change of ownership will be a positive development in terms of the promised investment in his squad.
Allardyce, who was briefed by Williams on Tuesday about the structure of the takeover, said recently: “The takeover talk has always been there ever since I’ve been at the club. The club has always been for sale from the day I first walked in and the chairman told me that.
“It is very important for the whole club and particularly important for me to know where the club is going.
“If you are getting new owners you want to know what they want to do and how they want to progress as a football club, which is important for me and the players here.”
Blackburn, controlled by the Jersey-based Walker Family Trust since the death of the club’s benefactor, Jack Walker, in August 2000, have been on the market for over two years, with the investment bank Rothschild instructed to identify a buyer.
A number of parties have expressed an interest in the club, with Indian rivals Ahsan Ali Syed and Saurin Shah both declaring their interest in August.
Blackburn’s large Asian population – approximately 24 per cent of the 105,000 inhabitants – is understood to be a factor in the interest from India, with Venky’s keen to tap into the town’s Indian community, as well as seeing the club as offering a foothold in the Premier League at a time when franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL) are exploring possible partnerships with non-cricketing sports’ organisations.
Speaking on Tuesday night to the Indian TV channel CNBC-TV18, Venky’s managing director Venkatesh Rao insisted that he expects the takeover to be resolved quickly.
He said: “It is very much confirmed. In the next 10 days we will be announcing it formally. It is a £46million deal.
“We will have to pump in some more money later on and I don’t want to get into the details of it.
“Blackburn is one of the very prestigious, oldest and very well-run clubs [in England]. This is an Indian first company in the Premier League. It’s a prestigious moment for everybody and we should cherish this moment.”
Blackburn chairman Williams said: “A series of meetings, including discussions with the Premier League, have followed an extensive due diligence process. Both parties are hopeful that the transaction will be completed in November.”
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Allardyce rues Anfield defeat

Sam Allardyce blamed Blackburn's lack of physical presence for the defeat at Liverpool.
Injuries and suspension deprived the away side of big centre-halves Ryan Nelsen and Chris Samba, and Allardyce was left ruing their absence in defending set-pieces.
But the Blackburn boss admitted Liverpool fully deserved their victory.
He said: "I don't think, realistically, we deserved to get anything out of the game.
"It's a fair result for Liverpool.
"On reflection, as early as this I think it's about us not being able to cope with too many injuries.
"We have lost our size and capabilities at both ends of the field at set pieces and that's what won Liverpool the game.
"Irrespective of all their good play, it was two corners that won them the match.
"The first was direct and the second one was in, out, back in and they scored. That's really where we've been caught out today."
Allardyce praised the first-half display of Paul Robinson, who kept Blackburn in the game with a string of superb saves, but reckons his defenders dozed off after the break.
He added: "Certainly from the basis of trying to allow us to get a point at half-time, Paul Robinson had kept us in the game.
"There's no doubt about that.
"We couldn't be too disappointed about going 1-0 down, but when you get back to 1-1 you would have thought the lads would have at least not gifted them another.
"Lets face it, we've gifted them both goals today.
"Paul Robinson had a massive game, but when it comes to basic defending we've not done that correctly."
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Sam hopes for quick deal

Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce insists that he wants to see the club's takeover sorted as soon as possible.
The Lancashire club are thought to be getting closer to agreeing a deal with Indian consortium the VH Group, who now lead the race to take the reins at Ewood Park from the Walker Trust.
It is believed that the coming weeks will be crucial for Rovers to secure the deal, with Indian tycoon Ahsan Ali Syed also reported to be interested in buying the club.
But Allardyce admitted that the sooner the deal was done, the more quickly the club can move forward and invest.
"I know it is a bit closer. The sooner the club eventually changes hands the better for the future of the club. When a business goes up for sale it does stagnate and stand still," Allardyce told the Lancashire Telegraph.
"The important thing about new owners is about moving forward again. New investment is needed for football clubs and at the moment the club has not had investment for a long time.
"It is probably closer than it ever has been. January isn't going to excite me though. It is the most horrible month in football. It is the wrong time and the wrong place to be investing any type of money.
"All this money in January is not for me. It is the most hated window in football. We would not want to be taking any investment into the January window unless we knew it would be a certainty to be a success and it was the right players for us as a football club and at the right price."
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Allardyce to show no mercy

Sam Allardyce has ordered Blackburn to take advantage of Liverpool's slump in form when they meet this weekend.
Rovers head to Anfield on Sunday knowing they are unlikely to play Roy Hodgson's Reds at a better time, following the Reds' dismal start to the season.
Liverpool are second-bottom in the league and are without a win in seven games in all competitions and Allardyce is keen to keep the pressure on former Blackburn boss Hodgson in their Premier League fixture.
"Liverpool are below us and how often do you play Liverpool when they are below you? Very, very rarely," said the Rovers chief.
"We have to take advantage of this situation while there's an opportunity."
After seeing Liverpool embroiled in a drawn-out takeover saga over the last few weeks, Allardyce has compared the Merseysiders' to last season's basement boys Portsmouth.
And the Rovers boss believes the off-field trials and tribulations have impacted on performances on the pitch for the Reds.
He added: "All the pressure of the takeover and the money situation has obviously affected the team.
"Just like it affected Portsmouth last year, who were relegated."
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Allardyce backs Probert call

Sam Allardyce admits he had no cause to criticise referee Lee Probert after Christopher Samba was sent off in Blackburn Rovers' 0-0 draw with Sunderland.
Samba was dismissed at the end of the first half for pulling back Danny Welbeck on the edge of the box after the defender had made a mess of an attempted back-pass.
Rovers boss Allardyce was relieved the foul was outside the penalty area and felt his team merited a point after a resilient second-half display.
"It feels like a win for us," Allardyce told Sky Sports.
"There wasn't much going on between both sides in the first half, we were both trying to create a few chances, but there were only half-chances, apart from when Benty was clean through and Paul Robinson in goal pulled off a very good save.
"I felt that was a turning point, and the other turning point was the sending off.
"We can't criticise the referee for that as obviously he was through on goal, we just have to be thankful that the assistant referee on that side of the pitch got it right in that it was outside the box as he could easily have given a penalty.
"We re-organised at half-time, and it worked exceptionally well for me. Everybody saw we limited Sunderland to very few chances indeed.
"In the end we deserved the draw and point we got. We move on from here. We're disappointed we went to 10 men, but it's a great point in the end."
Allardyce also outlined the approach he adopted to take after half-time in light of their numerical disadvantage on home soil.
He added: "What we did was we said we were going to play from a defensive role, deep in our own half and try and play on the break.
"Effectively say to our players, when we get possession, it's not about really moving up the pitch that quickly, but about keeping possession and giving yourself a breather and, if we can work our way up the pitch, our best opportunity to score a goal with 10 men is from a set-piece.
"We threatened a few times in the second half through that situation. We didn't find a goal, but that would have been a little lucky had we got one today."
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