- Robinson speaks on Allardyce's comments
- Better than Pep and Klopp
- Robinson and Allardyce worked together at Leeds
WHAT HAPPENED? After taking charge of Leeds United towards the end of the 2022/23 season, Allardyce told reporters that in terms of football knowledge, nobody is better than him - not even celebrated coaches like Guardiola and Klopp. Robinson, who worked as assistant to Allardyce at Leeds, spoke about the manager's comments at that time and how he reacted to that statement.
WHAT THEY SAID: Speaking on the I Had Trials Once podcast, Robinson said: "We were having lunch and he (Sam Allardyce) turns to me and says, ‘I need to do something here – I need to create a bit of a smokescreen, the players look nervous, they don’t look like they can deal with the pressure. I told him to make something up and throw something out there, and he said, ‘I f*****g will!’
"Later, I was in his office with Keano having a coffee, and he storms in with a massive smile on his face, and says, ‘I’ve only f*****g said I’m better than Pep and Klopp [to the media], haven’t I?’ The press officer then walks in and he says, ‘let’s see how many bites you get on that one!’"
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Allardyce, along with Robinson, took charge of Leeds United on May 3 at a time when the club were 17th in the league table and trying to avoid relegation. The Whites thereafter managed to pick up just one point from four games playing under Allardyce and eventually went down, finishing 19th.
IN TWO PHOTOS:
WHAT NEXT? Allardyce departed Elland Road at the end of last season with Daniel Farke eventually named as his successor following a lengthy search process.