Sam's appliance of science never got off ground in short stint at St James' Park
| Date | 07 March 2021 |
| Published date | 07 March 2021 |
| Publication title | Sunday Sun |
it's perhaps the first and last time the Magpies' newly-appointed boss encountered someone who did not know anything about the beautiful game during his eight months in charge.
Indeed, Allardyce's wife, Lynne, never forgot the number of black-andwhite shirts she spotted the first time Steve Bruce's other half, Janet, took her to the MetroCentre in 2007. It was the moment she realised just how big the club was.
Allardyce probably did not need reminding. Before they touched down at Newcastle City Heliport, Allardyce asked the pilot if it would be OK to swoop over St James' Park.
The sight of the iconic stadium from the skies had Allardyce dreaming: imagine being the man who finally ends the club's trophy drought?
Allardyce had previously turned Newcastle down in 2004 and, two years later, the black-and-whites decided against appointing the Bolton manager and instead gave the job to caretaker boss Glenn Roeder on a permanent basis.
Following Roeder's resignation, in 2007, it was a case of third time lucky for both parties after Allardyce and Shepherd agreed on a three-year deal over dinner at Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at Claridge's in London.
Allardyce was unveiled as the club's new manager just a few days later and there were plenty of supporters there inside St James' to greet the new arrival. Chants of 'Sammy's a Geordie!' even broke out.
Little did Allardyce know at the time, however, that the club was about to be taken over by one Mike Ashley.
Allardyce had ambitions of signing Luka Modric, Leighton Baines and Phil Jagielka but the trio were not among the whopping nine new senior players through the door that summer.
David Rozehnal, Paris Saint-Germain's player of the year the previous season, was instead one of Allardyce's first signings.
"I felt from the coach that he wanted me," Rozehnal told the Sunday Sun. "From the first day when I came there, we were in the same hotel and he was talking to me.
time to have better and would have Sam "He wanted to try and help me with finding a house and settling down really fast so I could concentrate on football and the games.
"He was leading the team, everything. It was special. It was a good feeling for me because I was new there, a young player from Europe, and coming to a team with big players.
"But if you have a manager who trusts you from the beginning, it's much easier. Afterwards, it was up to me to prove that I had some skills...
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