Big Sam is a managerial genius

Big Sam is a managerial genius, well according to Paddy Power he is!

Paddy Power have crunched the numbers and looked at Big Sam’s points per game in the league at every club he has managed, compared to the respective number of games before he arrived. And the results say Big Sam will never take your club backwards, and if you’re lucky he will improve them.

His most successful club according to the stats was his two-year spell at Blackpool between 1994 and 1996. In 92 league games Big Sam got Blackpool’s average up from 1.13 points per game to 1.59, which over a 46 game season, equates to an extra 21 points. They came within one point of promotion to the First Division, and Big Sam still has the highest league win percentage of any Blackpool manager.

The naysayers will point to his negative impact at Preston, Bolton and Blackburn.

His first stint at Preston was his first ever managerial position and he only lasted 10 games at the helm. At Bolton he gained promotion to the Premier League, and not only kept them up for six seasons, but got them into Europe! Playing at a higher level it is remarkable that he almost picked up as many points in his 309 games with the Trotters as they did before he arrived. At Blackburn, Big Sam could have been building a dynasty before Venky’s replaced him with Steve Keane. Now Big Sam sits in a Champions League spot while Rovers are scrapping for promotion in the Championship.

But at West Ham, Big Sam is working at a rate of 0.38 points per game better than what the Hammers were at before he rolled into town. Over a 38-game Premier League season that’s a difference of almost 15 points.

Paddy Power say we should All hail Big Sam Allardyce the managerial genius