Wolves could do much worse than Sam Allardyce, who knows what it’s like to battle for Premier League survival.
There has been a stagnation of sorts in the race Wolves’ next manager after front-runner Gary O’Neil withdrew from the hiring process.
The story of the day is the open letter Wolves fans sent to Guo Guangchang, expressing their concerns with the direction in which the club is going — namely, down.
Whoever gets the gig will have a mountain to climb in order to save Wolves from the drop, and one man with plenty of experience in that arena is Allardyce.
Sam Allardyce discusses possibility of managing Wolves
Allardyce is a long-time supporter of the Old Gold, and has previously spoken highly of the club.
Early in the season, Allardyce predicted Vitor Pereira would keep Wolves up, saying: “He’s got character. He has. Yeah, it oozes out of him. When I watch him, I go, ‘Yeah, he can affect the players’, like he’s got really, really good character by the looks of it.”
Character wasn’t enough to save Pereira from the sack, and now there’s a vacancy at Molineux that needs filling.
Allardyce was asked about a potential return to management on talkSPORT, where he said: “”I suppose with the amount of times I’ve said I might retire, you can never say never with the times that I have bounced back.
“Possibly. Wolves was one of my childhood favourite clubs when I started watching football.”
He’s certainly not ruling it out, but equally, he doesn’t fancy his chances after what he has heard about the hiring process.
Sam Allardyce says Wolves are looking for a young manager
By all accounts, Allardyce is open to exploring a Wolves move, but there’s a problem.
He lays it out plainly, saying: “I suppose who knows, but I’ve heard they are looking for a younger coach anyway.
“I’m not so sure my time will ever come round again but you sit and wait, you never know. I am not actively searching but if it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t then it doesn’t.”
According to him, Wolves want a more youthful presence on the sideline, but no hint as to why.
As much as Wolves will want to look long-term with their next hire, their immediate concern is staying afloat in the Premier League. To bring in an inexperienced coach — with no room for teething problems — feels like a huge risk.
Whoever takes up the mantle at Molineux will be under pressure to make an instant impact. Allardyce is no spring chicken, but you can be sure he would get the side organised and be difficult to beat.
The alleged age requirement could be nothing more than chatter within the industry, but if they are set on a younger manager, they at least need to have some sort of track record in the English top flight.