Sam Allardyce has admitted that the Everton job is the opportunity he has been waiting for in terms of finances and ambition, stating that he expected his spell at NUFC to be exactly that, but ‘that didn’t happen’ due to Ashley’s lack of spending.
Allardyce blames this on Mike Ashley’s lack of money, yet spent £35m over the summer of 2007 – with the likes of Mark Viduka, Joey Barton, Alan Smith and Geremi all arriving on huge wages too.
The majority of the above were past their best when they arrived, yet cost the club a lot of money and ALL ended up leaving the club for free. Geremi and Viduka were understood to be on as much as £100,000 a week too, so although they may have signed on a ‘free’, they were anything but inexpensive to Mike Ashley.
Yes Everton have showed their significant financial muscle in spending £140m over the summer, but Big Sam getting £35m TEN years ago was quite generous as Ashley goes – especially when you consider Benitez was given just under that amount to spend over the summer in this day and age!
Here’s what Allardyce had to say when asked if the Everton job was the opportunity he had been waiting for – with his response including a dig at Mike Ashley and NUFC’s ambition:
“I think financially and ambition-wise – probably yes.
“Newcastle was going to be the most ambitious club and best financially-backed I was going to manage, way back in 2007, but that didn’t happen…
“When Freddy Shepherd went out and Mike Ashley came in, there wasn’t as much money as I expected.
“This football club has spent pretty heavily this summer. I haven’t stipulated or insisted on a budget, other than saying we would probably need some players in January.”
Big Sam isn’t wrong – Everton currently do possess more available money and ambition than NUFC ever have under Ashley’s poisonous reign, however it is a bit rich of him to suggest he wasn’t backed financially during his brief spell at St James’ Park.
He was given established players, on huge wages and had more to spend all those years ago than Benitez is being given a whole ten years later.
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Big mouth Sam
Deans McClue(Quote)