“I’m extremely disappointed of course about tonight’s result and ultimately about our exit from the competition. We haven’t progressed as far as I thought we were capable of and that’s obviously not acceptable”. These were the words of a dejected Roy Hodgson who resigned immediately after England’s nightmare exit against minnows Iceland at the Euros.

Another tournament resulted in yet another disappointment for England. And, after a little deliberation the English FA narrowed down to Sam Allardyce to recover the team.

Mentality: A big factor?

Former England great, Alan Shearer described it as the “worst performance” by any England team. England legend Steven Gerrard said that a “culture of fear” resulted in England’s shambolic showing against Iceland. One would agree with Gerrard that if a team consisting of Wayne Rooney, Harry Kane, Daniel Sturridge and others cannot beat Iceland then there is something massively wrong with the mentality of the squad.

“There was something missing when I look back at my England career, maybe we play against each other every week and there were little groups, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea. And probably when you’re, I don’t know, Argentine, and they’re all playing all over the world, they come home and there’s a big family”, said Frank Lampard a few months back.

One would say that this is still the case with the England team. There is no unique identity of the English team.

Challenges ahead for Sam Allardyce?

One of the first challenges for Sam Allardyce is giving the team an identity. The scars of that night in Nice might take some time to heal. But he needs to do it quick and get the best out of his pool of highly talented individuals.

Big Sam had his fair share of criticisms, but a lack of spirit and never-say-die attitude isn’t one. The right spirit can help England benefit greatly from.

Allardyce’s biggest achievement is without a doubt his time as Bolton Wanderers coach. He gave fans “faith” with an approach based on less attractive but a result-oriented style. He started a new uprising in England. The journey from promotion out of division 1 to Premier League survival. Followed by the eventual venture into Europe accompanied by a growing number of leaders on the pitch, as well as talented youngsters making it to the first-team made him a fan-favourite.

However, that might not be enough to please the England fans.

Reviving England: The Allardyce way

In this modern-day love for tiki-taka and quick gegenpressing approaches big Sam’s direct approach could be tough to swallow. However, if he can back it with early results, a clear display of intent and character by the players. He could well be on the verge of being the man who would take England back to glory.

Allardyce has often been on the receiving end for over-using his long-ball approach. But in his defence he saved a struggling Sunderland from relegation with a lone front-man in Jermain Defoe as the focal point of his attack.

With a large pool of talent made available to him from all across England, he can fit the players to his scheme of things. Whether he chooses the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Harry Kane, or resorts to the aerial prowess of someone like Andy Carroll remains to be seen.

Inspite of not being a high-profile announcement, the media or former players have shown little disagreements to Allardyce’s credentials. Not having succeeded at a club with ambitions up the table leaves a major point to prove for big Sam. He is known to earn the respect of his players with his tactics and determination. Will he succeed or will he not? Only time can tell.

Image Courtesy: thefa.com