Nottingham Forest have been issued a strong warning by new Leeds United boss Sam Allardyce.
The 68-year-old has taken on the ninth Premier League club of his career, stepping back into management for the first time since leaving West Bromwich Albion in 2021. Allardyce has four games to maintain Leeds’ top-flight status, with a dismal run of recent results leaving the club in 17th and outside the bottom three on goal difference.
Nottingham Forest dropped into the bottom three on Monday night, following Leicester City’s draw with Everton on Monday night, with the bottom five teams separated by six points. However, Allardyce feels he is more than capable of keeping Leeds up, comparing himself to leading coaches Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta in his opening press conference.
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"People think I'm old and antiquated. It's so far from the truth,' Allardyce said. "There is no one ahead of me in football terms - not Pep, not Klopp, not Arteta. They do what they do, I do what I do.
"But in terms of depth of depth of knowledge, I am up there with them. I am not saying I am better than them, but I am as good as them."
Allardyce admitted that he was surprised to get a call from the Leeds hierarchy this late in the campaign, with the club bringing an end to Javi Gracia’s shot spell in charge. A trip to Manchester City awaits in his first game on Saturday before Leeds’ final three fixtures against Newcastle, West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur.
“I know it (Leeds) is in a lot of trouble,” Allardyce told talkSPORT. “I have seen a lot of trouble before and – I could have done with a little bit more time, but four games – hopefully we can make a difference and keep this fabulous club in the Premier League.
“(I was) shocked (to get the opportunity), I never thought at this stage of the season there would be jobs offered.
“When the phone popped up with a name that I knew pretty well, I knew who it was straight away, so it took me about two seconds to say yes.”
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