Born: Oct. 19, 1954 in Dudley, England Playing career: * Allardyce began his playing career at Bolton Wanderers where he spent nine years until 1980 and made more than 200 appearances. * He spent the next 12 years as a journeyman professional with stints at clubs including Sunderland, Millwall, Tampa Bay Rowdies, Coventry City, Huddersfield Town, a second spell at Bolton, Preston North End and West Bromwich Albion. Coaching career: * Allardyce's first step into management came as a player-coach at West Bromwich Albion and after various different coaching roles his first permanent job as a manager came at Blackpool in 1994. * After a spell at Notts County he joined second tier Bolton in 1999 and led them to the semi-finals of the League and FA Cups in 2000. * Bolton were promoted to the Premier League in 2001 and after keeping them clear of relegation he achieved a sixth place top-flight finish in 2005, before leading them into Europe in the UEFA Cup. * He joined Newcastle United in May 2007, but left in January 2008 after a poor run of results. * He joined Blackburn Rovers in December 2008 and led them to the League Cup semi-final in 2010, but, following the sale of the club to new owners, he was sacked later that year with the team 13th in the Premier League. * He joined West Ham United in 2011 and took them up to the Premier League at the end of his first season in charge. * Allardyce secured three mid-table top-flight finishes with West Ham, but some fans were unhappy with his style of football and he left in 2015 when his contract expired. * He joined Sunderland in October 2015 with the club 19th in the Premier League, but steered them to safety with a 17th-place finish. * The club guaranteed their top-flight status with a 3-0 win over Everton that also ensured their rivals Newcastle United were relegated. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.)
