With recent newspaper reports over the last few days, hinting at some degree of discord between Sam Allardyce and the new regime over a lack of transfer funds, tonight’s Talk-In was going to be interesting, if a little cynical that any difficult questions would be omitted, and perhaps they were, for there was no mention of Sam’s relationship with owner Mike Ashley, or new chairman, Chris Mort. However, despite this, it proved to be quite interesting, as Allardyce shared some of his thoughts on his vision for the club.

He started by saying that he had outstayed his welcome and Bolton, and that he “must have been mad” to turn down managing Newcastle, when the job was offered to him three years ago.

Turning to the topic of the backroom staff, Allardyce revealed that he intends to build a team of 18 to 20 people in various positions to work with the first team squad. Ideally, he’d like his backroom team to be people who have been rejected as youngsters or who have had their careers ended through injury, and have then gone to University to study Sports Science or Sports Psychology. He feels that people that have done this have a ‘football mentality’ and can understand what it is to be a footballer.

He commented that missing out on Europe this season may work in United’s favour. It would allow more time between games to implement the new training methods and resolve the injury problems. He has been speaking to a number of players who feel that they have been rushed back from injuries in the past. Allardyce thinks that it is no good rushing a player back who is only 80 or 90 per cent, as they are not fully fit and will simply break down again, thereby worsening the club’s injury problems. Players must be allowed to make full recoveries before taking part in games again.

Allardyce also revealed that he hasn’t made a final decision on who is to captain Newcastle this season, and that it might even be a player he is yet to sign – he is still hoping to bring in three or four new faces before the season starts. When asked if reports in tonight’s Evening Chronicle were true, that he is looking to sell Obafemi Martins in order to raise funds for new signings, he responded with a firm and confident ‘no’. No names of new signings were mentioned, but he is looking to bring in a left back. He also said that the squad was in need of ‘big defenders’ to play against big opposition players, and that they are also needed to defend against set pieces, as many games are won or lost on a free kick or a corner. Allardyce cited, the friendly match with Carlisle as an example.

Newcastle, he said had played the better football and dominated the game, but went a goal down through a free kick, and therefore ended up with a draw when they had deserved a win. Allardyce wants to instill the new training methods into the players this season, so that when new players join the club, it is not just him and his coaching staff who are telling them what to do, and that the players are also showing and helping them as well. That way everyone is in it together, fighting for each other.

Allardyce revealed that he wants to make the Academy one of the best in the country alongside the likes of Manchester United and West Ham – pointing out that five of the current England team are products of West Ham’s youth setup. Money can buy success, he said, but only so far, and that while you need to buy players in, you also need to produce good young players, who can step up and are capable of making the grade in the first team.

Of Newcastle’s current crop of young players he is impressed with Andy Carroll, who he feels is a ‘dying breed’ of old fashioned big centre forwards. He said that he has had at least twelve clubs on the phone enquring about taking Carroll on loan, but said that he isn’t going anywhere at the moment, but that he may perhaps send him on loan for some first team football for six months or so at some point.

Tactics-wise, Allardyce said that he prefers to use 4-3-3 over 4-4-2, as he feels it allows more players to both defend (5 rather than 4) and attack (3 rather than 2). However, tactics have to be altered according to the opposition. He feels that while Newcastle has good players, Manchester United’s players are better, and therefore it wouldn’t make sense to play the way they do against them, as they will win. What you have to do, is play another way, and try to confuse them.

Allardyce cited his time at Bolton. Over the last ten games in which Bolton played Arsenal, they won five, drew three and lost only two. Despite Arsenal having better players, Bolton played a system which upset Arsenal, and “kicked the shit out of them”.

When asked about how he gets perceived ‘bad boys’ to play for him, Allardyce revealed that you have to find out what went wrong at their previous club, that he talks to the player in question and finds out what he can do for that player to help him and make him feel wanted. On a similar subject, discussing his management technique he said that he uses different techniques for different players. You have to ‘bollock’ some players, because that’s what they respond to best, but that doing the same to another player might make him completely lose his confidence, and so you have to use another tactic to get the best out of them. He said that something he has learnt is that “you can’t go fighting people.” He revealed that as a young manager he wanted “to fight everyone” but it doesn’t work (something we know only too well from the Souness era).

On the question of what he would change about Football, he feels that the offside law needs to be looked at. He doesn’t know what it is anymore, nor do the players, the referees or linesmen. It is inconsistent, FIFA and UEFA need to resolve this and clearly define the law.

Allardyce was also asked what motivates him, to which he answered that he wanted to put something back. He had achieved his childhood dream of being a professional footballer, and then having retired, he felt a ‘hole’ which could only be replaced by either managing or coaching – besides “I know bugger all about anything else”.