Sam Allardyce has rubbished any links between him and the West Brom job, after his odds were slashed by leading bookies.
Allardyce is now the odds-on favourite for the job with current caretaker behind him at 2/1.
Talking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast Show (talkSPORT, Tuesday, 7am), Allardyce said there had been no contact from West Brom and that he was off on holiday on Wednesday.
“There’s been no contact with either me or my camp, and there’s been no contact since Darren Moore left,” Allardyce said.
Host Max Rushden said that there was no smoke without fire, but Allardyce wasn’t biting.
“Well there is in this case. To be fair, if someone put £100 on me the odds would be slashed to odds on. Someone’s making a few bob from this.
“I’m going to Thailand on April 3rd so I’m not sure where all this has come from.”
OPINION
We can’t remember a manager market that Sam Allardyce hasn’t been linked to, but this seems like a pretty firm denial that there are anything in these rumours. Allardyce’s odds were slashed dramtically this week – from 50/1 to odds on on Tuesday, but these comments should see his odds drifting again. West Brom fans will probably be pleased about that. Allardyce is good at doing a certain job in football, but Baggies fans will be looking for a more progressive figure to get them back into the Premier League. We still can’t believe that Darren Moore was sacked with his team firmly in line for a play-off place. Setting him a target of automatic promotion or bust seems exceptionally harsh, but such is the lot of a manager these days. If we were West Brom fans we wouldn’t be too enamoured at a decision to get rid of a manager on a promotion run-in without having a replacement. And, after these comments today, that replacement doesn’t look like it’s going to be Sam Allardyce.