- Allardyce said 'nobody better than him'
- New Leeds boss namechecked Guardiola & Klopp
- He is old friends with Sir Alex
WHAT HAPPENED? After being appointed by Leeds last week, Allardyce hit the headlines following his first press conference when he claimed there was 'nobody better' than him in modern management – and namechecked Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta. "I am not saying I am better than them, but I am as good as them," said the veteran manager, who has now clarified the comment and admitted it was a piece of misdirection inspired by his old managerial rival and friend, United legend Sir Alex.
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WHAT THEY SAID: "You had a big enough headline off me last week, you're not going to get anymore," Allardyce said in this week's press conference, rebutting a journalist's question. "By the way, all those who criticised me about that sounded a bit thick didn't they? When all I was doing was diverting off the players onto myself, which was a great tactic I picked up off [Sir] Alex Ferguson . There was no pressure on the players because I took it all, I took all the stick – 'oh look at him, listen to him' – but there's none of that this week, it's all focussing on Newcastle and trying to get the three points that we need."
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Allardyce was beaten by Guardiola's Manchester City 2-1 in his first game in charge of Leeds after replacing Javi Gracia for the final four games of the season. He now faces former club Newcastle on Saturday in a game the relegation-threatened Whites can ill-afford to lose.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
leedsunited.com
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Getty/GoalWHAT NEXT? After the Newcastle game, Leeds' remaining two games of the season are against West Ham (away) and Tottenham (home). The Elland Road club are currently 19th in the table, on 30 points, two away from safety.