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LONDON. — Sam Allardyce was ready to quit football altogether if Sunderland had been relegated last season. Now, he has landed his dream job as England manager – a decade after he thought his hopes of leading the Three Lions had been dashed for ever when he was overlooked for the post. The 61-year-old was contemplating his future in the game when his Sunderland side became embroiled in another relegation battle in the spring.

Sources close to Big Sam believe he would have walked away from the Black Cats if they had gone down – and that he would then have called time on a management career that has spanned 25 years and nine clubs. Allardyce, however, then guided the Wearsiders to another great escape, with three wins and three draws in the last six matches of the campaign.

And only then did he decide to honour the final year of his contract at the Stadium of Light – until the FA sent out an SOS for him to lead England to the 2018 World Cup.

Allardyce also had spells in charge of Preston, Blackpool, Notts County, Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn and West Ham after being given his managerial break by League of Ireland outfit Limerick in 1991. — The Mirror.