FA name Sam Allardyce as new England manager after agreeing compensation with Sunderland
Black Cats to receive £3million pay-out with Big Sam announced as manager
THE Football Association named Sam Allardyce as the new England manager.
Allardyce has agreed a two-year deal after the FA agreed a £3million compensation deal with Sunderland to release their boss.
FA officials spent the past two days thrashing out terms with the Black Cats after deciding Allardyce was the man they wanted to replace Roy Hodgson.
And they reached a final agreement this morning - paving the way for them to formally install the 61-year-old as new Three Lions manager this afternoon.
He will be challenged with leading the country to the World Cup in Russia in 2018 and deliver a better display than his predecessor at Euro 2016 and World Cup 2014.
Allardyce, who will name Sammy Lee as his assistant as part of his backroom staff, said: "I am extremely honoured to be appointed England manager especially as it is no secret that this is the role I have always wanted.
"For me, it is absolutely the best job in English football.
"I will do everything I can to help England do well and give our nation the success our fans deserve.
"Above all, we have to make the people and the whole country proud."
FA chief-executive Martin Glenn said: "Sam Allardyce is the right man for the England job.
"His excellent managerial credentials, including his ability to realise the potential of players and teams, develop a strong team ethos and embrace modern methods that enhance performance, made him the outstanding choice.
"That was underlined when we sat down to talk and we could not help but be energised by his personal perspective on England’s future and how it complemented the extensive work that we are looking to build on at St. George’s Park.
";Dan Ashworth, David Gill and I have carried out a thorough process in the last three weeks and ultimately we could not look beyond Sam as the ideal candidate."
Allardyce will select his first England squad towards the end of August ahead of the friendly on 1 September and the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Slovakia in Trnava three days later.
SunSport told you on Wednesday how Allardyce had been chosen by the three-man FA committee in charge of finding a new manager after England's flop at Euro 2016.
Hull City boss Steve Bruce was also interviewed, where he made a strong case to help the Three Lions players cope with the pressure of playing in a major tournament.
Bruce's own future at Hull looks to be over, amid revelations he is leaving the club just days after his England interview.
US national team boss Jurgen Klinsmann and Bournemouth's highly-rated Eddie Howe were also in the frame - but it was Allardyce who emerged as the leading candidate.
He will now get the chance to take the job of his dreams, after admitting he feared never getting the chance to manage his country after missing out ten years ago to Steve McClaren.
The FA have been holding the board meeting at Wembley today where they have already decided on who will become their new chairman, with Greg Clarke succeeding Greg Dyke in the role.
But also high on the agenda was signing off on Allardyce, and that now appears a formality with a £3million-a-year salary already agreed with the manager.
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