Report: Allardyce will be confirmed as England's manager by Thursday
Sam Allardyce, whose caricature loves long balls and hoof-and-hope football, is reportedly set to deploy his pragmatic tactics at the international level.
According to Sky Sports, Allardyce will be ratified as England's manager on Thursday when the Football Association's board holds a scheduled meeting. This will bring an end to his time at Sunderland, who was informed of the news and is already searching for a replacement.
Assuming the report is correct, Sunderland's pre-season friendly at Hartlepool United on Wednesday will likely be Allardyce's last as the Black Cats' manager.
Hull City confirmed on Tuesday that Steve Bruce had held informal discussions with the FA regarding the job, while Jurgen Klinsmann and Eddie Howe were, according to Louise Taylor of the Guardian, believed to be on the governing body's shortlist as well. But Allardyce was always viewed as the favourite to fill the vacancy left by Roy Hodgson, who resigned as England's manager after the Three Lions crashed out of Euro 2016 in humiliating fashion.
On Wednesday, Martin Glenn, the FA's chief executive, told BBC Sport that the appointment of England's new manager is "close" and stressed the need for whoever is appointed to deal with criticism from the English media.
"The British press, like it or not, are probably the most intensely passionate about the game in the world and that has a spill-over effect," Glenn said. "The consequence of which is people probably play not to make a mistake, as opposed to play to win. So the new manager's got to be someone who can inspire people to get the best out of themselves, build resilience and unashamedly adopt the kind of psychological techniques that other sports and other football teams have done."
In terms of getting the best out of players, Allardyce is as good as they come. He can squeeze the maximum out of ordinary footballers and knows how to play to people's strengths. Kevin Nolan, who played under "Big Sam" at West Ham United, said: "He makes you feel like the best."
Allardyce is also praised for having never overseen a club that was relegated from the Premier League, and for helping pioneer the use of sports science, statistics, and psychology in football. He is apparently also willing to help lay the foundation for England's future by mentoring a young assistant who would be groomed as his successor.
Related - Report: Allardyce willing to mentor assistant if appointed manager of England
However, Allardyce isn't without his faults. He is constantly criticised for playing ugly football that relies heavily on long balls and is painfully straightforward. His football once was described by Jose Mourinho as "19th century," and there's the possibility that some of England's players will be underwhelmed by his methods.
That being said, if Allardyce can grind out results with ugly football, England's supporters probably won't mind.