LONDON - West Bromwich Albion have appointed Sam Allardyce as manager after sacking Slaven Bilic following their poor start to the season, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.
Allardyce, 66, has managed Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United, Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Everton in the top flight, earning a reputation for helping struggling teams to avoid relegation.
"West Bromwich Albion are delighted to confirm the appointment of Sam Allardyce as the club's new head coach. The experienced boss, who has 512 Premier League games to his name, arrives at Albion with his long-time assistant, Sammy Lee," the club said in a statement.
Bilic was the first top-flight manager in England to be fired this season after his team picked up only seven points to sit second-bottom of the standings with one win in 13 games.
West Brom's sole victory came against bottom side Sheffield United last month while they drew four matches and lost eight. Bilic's last game in charge was Tuesday's 1-1 draw at Manchester City.
We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Sam Allardyce as our new Head Coach ✍️
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) December 16, 2020
"West Bromwich Albion have today parted company with head coach Slaven Bilic," the club said in a statement, adding that his assistants were also leaving with immediate effect.
Bilic took charge at West Brom in 2019 and was tasked with gaining promotion from the Championship to the top flight.
West Brom were promoted to the Premier League on the final day of last season when they finished second in the table.
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However, the club did not invest heavily in the transfer market to help Bilic assemble a squad capable of competing in the top flight, with 22-year-old Grady Diangana their biggest signing.
Allardyce's appointment at West Brom comes four years after Bilic replaced him as West Ham manager before the 2015-16 season when the London side did not renew the Englishman's contract.
We would like to thank Slaven and his coaching staff for their efforts in achieving promotion last season and wish them all well in the future. pic.twitter.com/RR1ik0vOk8
— West Bromwich Albion (@WBA) December 16, 2020
West Brom's sporting and technical director Luke Dowling said Allardyce had a "proven Premier League pedigree".
"We believe and, more importantly, Sam believes we have a group of players that have the quality needed to give the club its best chance of Premier League survival," Dowling said.
Allardyce was named England manager in 2016 but was sacked 67 days later when he was filmed allegedly offering advice on how to circumvent FA transfer rules in a newspaper sting.
West Brom's next game is a West Midlands derby against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Reuters