Karren Brady: Sam Allardyce, Tony Pulis, David Moyes and other British bosses are the great escapers – they’re always wanted for relegation battles

THE manager-go-round never stops.

And for those with anything like a reputation for rescuing teams from the snapping jaws of relegation, it’s just wonderful to be wanted again.

At West Ham, we turned once to Sam Allardyce and he did exactly what we asked of him — promotion and from then on, as Theresa May would put it, “steady and stable” progress.

No electorate could ask for more. Crystal Palace and now Everton have applied to him for similar escape artistry.

Allardyce is the perfect example of the man offered a leaky boat to cross an ocean who then lands on Treasure Island.

There are several others regularly pitched into heavy waters. Alan Pardew at West Brom, Roy Hodgson at Palace and — yes, us again — David Moyes at West Ham.

The missing name here is Tony Pulis. But sooner rather than later, a Premier League chairman, rubbing his magic lantern, will hear the genie mutter “Pul . . . Pulis . . . Pulisimo.”

Then said chairman will reach for the phone and utter the question: “Tony, perhaps you can help me?” Maybe in Welsh and coupled with noughts galore in support.

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None of the rescue artists, you will note, are foreign. When an amber light is flashing, Brits with experience of being there and doing that are summoned from their latest form of retirement.

This downtime usually involves being aired on TV, paraded at dinners and earning a crust as a celebrity expert.

Being treated as football royalty is enjoyable and serves the purpose of staying in the public eye, which in turn nudges the interest of employers with a problem.

Analysing others is a bit like being a GP when you’ve trained as a brain surgeon.

It is possible but unlikely that the Dunkirk spirit lurks in British bones and men such as Allardyce and Pulis have Churchillian powers to instil defiance into the willing and part-able ranks.

Still, in some ways both men are generals but mostly, it seems to me, their chief asset is as football sergeant majors. They come with the ability to re-organise tactics in the trenches.

This is as simple to say as it is hard to do, sometimes with a ridiculously short time-frame although recently chairmen have made their judgments just about coinciding with the Autumn Budget.

Occasionally they try again in spring because going down to the Championship these days is seen as joining the walking dead.

Baggies fans were grateful for the Pulis methods which saw off relegation, then decided that his style of football was a poor fit for a club whose deft play once had lit up the lives of Black Country labourers in metal and coal.

Something similar happened with Allardyce at West Ham. Chairmen may say they make up their own minds but it isn’t so. When fans’ dislike of a manager intrudes sharply into their thoughts, then his time is coming fast.

For all of us in the game, there is no shelter from the television, screen, mobiles, radios, pundits and social media.

Not so long ago, only radio, newspapers and one match a week on TV added to spectator pressure. Managers survived a run of bad results at what in business terms was little more than a corner store. Today, it is a major industry.

I doubt if Allardyce and Co complain very loudly about the way they have been treated. They are rich and highly successful in their fashion. Great survivors, and I can’t help imagining that when Armageddon comes, out will pop Tony Pulis.