Will Big Sam swap Black Cats for Three Lions?

Worryingly for Sunderland fans, Sam Allardyce has emerged as a favourite to become the next England manager, in the wake of the national side’s frankly shambolic exit from Euro 2016.

The Black Cats only appointed Big Sam in October 2015 and the concern for Wearsiders now, in light of Roy Hodgson’s swift resignation, will be whether the F.A comes to steal him away. I for one will be anxiously keeping a watching brief over the back page headlines for the next few weeks in the hope it’s a move that doesn’t come to fruition.

What would happen if it did? Well, this wouldn’t just cause a momentary set back to Sunderland’s plans under owner Ellis Short, it would instead completely derail the momentum Allardyce has only recently started to create.

It takes time to engender the sort of change that is required at Sunderland - that is certain. After one false dawn led to another on Wearside, the development required has become extensive to say the least. And after a single transfer window, Allardyce looks to have made significant strides in that department already.

However, ominously, we know that the 62 year old has courted the England job before. Is it something that still eats away at him as something of a missed opportunity? In 2006, during his time at Bolton Wanders he applied for the role following Sven Goran Erikson’s departure. Infamously, Big Sam didn’t seem to be taken particularly seriously by F.A chiefs at the time and Steve McClaren got the nod instead. That turned out well too by the way, didn’t it?

However, the prestige that surrounded the post has diminished following generations of failure. There will be surely those that will now see the job as something of a poisoned chalice. No, success hasn’t exactly been a regular visitor at the door of those wearing three lions after all has it?

So, if the job were offered this time around would Allardyce accept it? I have no doubt he would. Yes, he comes across as someone that still sees England as the pinnacle of a manager’s career. He’s admitted as much to the press on several occasions over the years.

Of course the question is whether the F.A would see Allardyce as the right choice now given they didn’t see him as such previously. Well, the decision makers have changed since then. Brian Barwick steered the ship at the F.A in 2006 and he no longer calls the shots. Does the current F.A chief, Martin Glenn, look upon Allardyce as having the requisite experience to pick England up from the doldrums, as he has started to with Sunderland? Glenn should do if he had any sense. However, for the sake of all Sunderland supporters, let’s hope he doesn’t.