Telegraph Investigations Megathread - Sam Allardyce resigns as England Manager

Kerrydude1981

Just on SSN there,they said that up to 10 managers were approached by this fake Far East firm so Big Sam might not be the only manager feeling the pressure this week

Agent Coulson

The build up to the England game at the end of next week is going to be fun.

HalloweenJack

Kerrydude1981 wrote: »

Just on SSN there,they said that up to 10 managers were approached by this fake Far East firm so Big Sam might not be the only manager feeling the pressure this week

Being approached is one thing but how many actually met up with the guys and had a chat, gave advice and took the money?

If true, of course.

However, the big problem here is entrapment. It is incredibly sleazy and is lowest common denominator journalism. I mean, seriously, this only happened because the Daily Telegraph went out to make a story. Big Sam is stupid for getting involved but there's a difference in being approached and being the one doing the approaching. Is there any evidence that Big Sam goes around offering his services this way? Or is it just when he's approached?

The English media have a massive role in the downfall of English managers, it's ridiculous.

Steve Bruce will be rubbing his hands with glee, wasn't he the second choice?

GLaDOS

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Steve Bruce will be rubbing his hands with glee, wasn't he the second choice?

If I was an English fan I'd be taking a corrupt Sam Allardyce over Steve Bruce any day!

thebaz

Withoiut going into details of allegation - My initial thoughts are -
is it any wonder England habitually fail at National level when newspapers send in under-cover reporters to a new manager , who has only managed one game - if he has done wrong fair eneogh , but sending in under-cover reports is sleazy itself , its like England want to continually fail.

GavRedKing

Whos up next so for the poisoned chalice?

callaway92

thebaz wrote: »

Withoiut going into details of allegation - My initial thoughts are -
is it any wonder England habitually fail at National level when newspapers send in under-cover reporters to a new manager , who has only managed one game - if he has done wrong fair eneogh , but sending in under-cover reports is sleazy itself , its like England want to continually fail.

You can't go complaining about the newspaper if they knew he was doing something wrong. Uncovering stuff like this is good for the sport to clear up the BS.

thebaz

callaway92 wrote: »

You can't go complaining about the newspaper if they knew he was doing something wrong. Uncovering stuff like this is good for the sport to clear up the BS.

everybody has some skeleton in the past - no one is perfect - doing this sort of undercover is scummy - why not do it before he was announced as manager - ask most people would you take a million , and they will say yes (plied with free wine) , including scummy reporters

Shanotheslayer

thebaz wrote: »

everybody has some skeleton in the past - no one is perfect - doing this sort of undercover is scummy - why not do it before he was announced as manager - ask most people would you take a million , and they will say yes (plied with free wine) , including scummy reporters

Because reporting this story on a current English manager is a much bigger story than if he was not.

thebaz

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

Because reporting this story on a current English manager is a much bigger story than if he was not.

and thats why its scummy - like a persistent agenda to hinder the National team - then the same journos will wonder how is it England have yet another spectacular fail - no real good will to get behind team like here in Ireland , sleazy story much more valued at Fleet street.

keeponhurling

Shanotheslayer wrote: »

Because reporting this story on a current English manager is a much bigger story than if he was not.

The allegations are that Allardyce offered advice on how to circumvent FA third-party ownership laws and tried to negotiate a £400,000 deal to address investors in a Far East firm.

Allardyce is an employee of the FA, and a handsomely paid one.
Of course this is more serious than if he was an employee somewhere else, or at a club

elefant

thebaz wrote: »

everybody has some skeleton in the past - no one is perfect - doing this sort of undercover is scummy - why not do it before he was announced as manager - ask most people would you take a million , and they will say yes (plied with free wine) , including scummy reporters

It's a very underhand way to go about doing a story, but it's not like they have plastered some personal issues he was talking about in the local pub in the papers. He was paid to go to a function, and appears to (at least potentially) be advising how the people who paid him for the function can get one past his employers (and these being employers that the public at large have a very close connection to).

However reprehensibly the newspaper acted, Big Sam can't go blaming anyone but himself.

Dirty Dingus McGee

thebaz wrote: »

and thats why its scummy - like a persistent agenda to hinder the National team - then the same journos will wonder how is it England have yet another spectacular fail - no real good will to get behind team like here in Ireland , sleazy story much more valued at Fleet street.

But a journalists job is to dig up dirt and report it not to be a cheerleader.

thebaz

Dirty Dingus McGee wrote: »

But a journalists job is to dig up dirt and report it not to be a cheerleader.

put it this way I prefer the way the Irish media get behind the team , rather than the British way - the NoW hung Sven out using same tactic , and these same pillars of society were using illegal taps , which caused the closure of the paper - every Sunday there was some sort of scummy story - perspective in life is my thing

TheNap

Their job is to sell newspapers and get clicks online, not to help their National team.

The_Kew_Tour

Father Joe should organise a mass down in Limerick. He be fine

keeponhurling

ArmaniJeanss

May also be an issue with the 'moonlighting' aspect.
He's a hugely salaried fulltime employee, be fairly surprising if the FA didn't have a clause to prevent him doing unapproved bits&pieces on the side.

GLaDOS

Sunderland may take him back yet

Jelle1880

GavRedKing wrote: »

Whos up next so for the poisoned chalice?

Paully D

I'd have him back at Sunderland in the morning.

keeponhurling

Paully D wrote: »

I'd have him back at Sunderland in the morning.

CantGetNoSleep

He'll be working in the Premier League before the end of the season if he is fired. He has a proven record of keeping teams up and there is just too much money involved to overlook that. A perfect fit for Stoke I'd say.

TheTownie

Exclusive: Sam Allardyce claimed HMRC is the 'most corrupt business' in Britain

ahlookit

Allardyce on his way to crisis talks with FA according to the Guardian


Meanwhile, Chico Flores sticks the boot in:

https://www.theguardian.com/football/live/2016/sep/27/englands-sam-allardyce-facing-fa-investigation-after-undercover-sting-live?page=with:block-57ea5f27e4b0f707b26af541#block-57ea5f27e4b0f707b26af541



Expect a drip feed of these stories over the next few days

Football for sale | What the Telegraph investigation will reveal
The Telegraph began investigating corruption in English football last year after receiving information that specific managers, officials and agents were taking or receiving cash payments to secure player transfers. Over the coming days the Telegraph will detail how:

The assistant manager of a high-profile football club accepted a £5,000 cash “bung”
Ten managers were named by players’ agents as taking bribes to fix player transfers
Two well-known managers discussed becoming ambassadors for the same fictitious firm as Sam Allardyce
Another high-profile manager admitted his players broke FA rules by betting on their own games but he failed to report it
A senior figure at a Premier League club helped undercover reporters to formulate a plan to bribe managers

TheCitizen

TheTownie wrote: »

Exclusive: Sam Allardyce claimed HMRC is the 'most corrupt business' in Britain

He couldn't stop himself acting the big man with the fake investors. The big eejit. The journos in The Telegraph would've known he wouldn't resist giving it large.

ahlookit

TheCitizen wrote: »

He couldn't stop himself acting the big man with the fake investors. The big eejit. The journos in The Telegraph would've known he wouldn't resist giving it large.

Time for a manager with a bit more humility....as Jelle1880 suggested, one candidate:

Kerrydude1981

If he is sacked,is that a new record for an International Manager sacking

Got the job in July could be gone in September

Paully D

He's now odds against to be England manager at the World Cup, which is essentially the same as asking if he will be sacked for this.

2/1 to be England manager in 2018.

LuckyLloyd

Not seeing this as an issue for which he should be sacked. Looks like they were hoping for him to take more of the bait and he actually stayed the right side of the line throughout. The headline and the way the story has been presented ultimately misrepresents the content. A low form of scum journalism, that screams of personal vendettas within the ownership and / or editorial function of the paper.

Danye

I wonder who the other managers are? Apparently two of them are ex international managers? Mark Hughes & Mick McCarthy are two I could think that could be classed as "High profile" or is there somebody even more obvious?

Wichita Lineman

Canvass for 10 years to get the job then casually f*** it up in 10 minutes bragging. The only thing that might save him is that he repeatedly said he'd have to clear it with the FA. Very, very embarrassing all the same.

If he's pushed or at least helped to jump surely Alan Curbishley has a shout .....

Lukker-

It's no surprise really and the FA can't really claim ignorance, Big Sam's love of bungs has been evident since his Bolton days.

Agent Coulson

Danye wrote: »

I wonder who the other managers are? Apparently two of them are ex international managers? Mark Hughes & Mick McCarthy are two I could think that could be classed as "High profile" or is there somebody even more obvious?

Conte, Ranieri & Bilic have all managed Internationally as well.

ahlookit

Danye wrote: »

I wonder who the other managers are? Apparently two of them are ex international managers? Mark Hughes & Mick McCarthy are two I could think that could be classed as "High profile" or is there somebody even more obvious?

Bilic, Rainieri, Conte have all been international managers

Billy86

Agent Coulson wrote: »

Conte, Ranieri & Bilic have all managed Internationally as well.

Definitely won't be Conte, and I would be absolutely shocked if it were Ranieri who turns 65 in about three weeks, is close to retirement and has maybe the best gig in world football right now, never been to Leicester but I'd imagine he's a king among kings there for life, regardless of how the rest of his tenure at the club goes.

If the saga draws on and West Ham continue to struggle, wouldn't expect it as his stock would be very low, but Bilic might not be a bad shout.

eagle eye

This is nothing new and it doesn't surprise me at all. The only issue I have is that it's a media setup which is all wrong.

It's been suggested for years that there was a group of well known managers, led by the most successful one of the last 25 years, that were doing a lot of dodgy business deals.

sReq | uTeK

eagle eye wrote: »

This is nothing new and it doesn't surprise me at all. The only issue I have is that it's a media setup which is all wrong.

It's been suggested for years that there was a group of well known managers, led by the most successful one of the last 25 years, that were doing a lot of dodgy business deals.

haha, you're a gas man. Pot Kettle Black. I hear Pep has a few ties with a certain spanish medicine man.. But sure hey we should overlook that too.

Ludo

eagle eye wrote: »

This is nothing new and it doesn't surprise me at all. The only issue I have is that it's a media setup which is all wrong.

No sympathy for any manager caught to be honest. This has been done so often now that they should be aware of it. And if they are clean, then they have nothing to worry about. You can be pretty sure also that they only try it with those they know are open to it.

sReq | uTeK

Ludo wrote: »

No sympathy for any manager caught to be honest. This has been done so often now that they should be aware of it. And if they are clean, then they have nothing to worry about. You can be pretty sure also that they only try it with those they know are open to it.

Exactly, there is nothing different here than a legitimate businessman contacting Sam. Either way, he took the bait. Which suggests that he would take it anyway. Which means hes a corrupt moron.

He's the only one to blame in this. No one "FORCED" him to do it.

Cops have been leaving unlocked cars as bait for criminals for years, do we blame the cops when some scumbag tries to rob it. No it's a honeypot. Looks like sam just likes his honey.

Lukker-

The Times are saying he's going to be sacked after an FA meeting this morning.

martyos121

Nigel Pearson's just been suspended by Derby ahead of their match tonight and word is he'll get the sack. No reason given for the suspension yet, but he's friendly with Allardyce so perhaps he's one of the "high profile" managers involved in this scandal? Just to be clear, that's just speculation, not accusations.

ahlookit

martyos121 wrote: »

Nigel Pearson's just been suspended by Derby ahead of their match tonight and word is he'll get the sack. No reason given for the suspension yet, but he's friendly with Allardyce so perhaps he's one of the "high profile" managers involved in this scandal? Just to be clear, that's just speculation, not accusations.

Could also be related to only 1 league win and 3 goals so far!


Though there is speculation that its a disciplinary issue and not to do with Derbys results.

rob316

People blaming the journalists, give me a break. No one forced him to go on the trip and take the money, he was greedy and stupid enough to get caught.

Harry Palmr

martyos121 wrote: »

Nigel Pearson's just been suspended by Derby ahead of their match tonight and word is he'll get the sack. No reason given for the suspension yet, but he's friendly with Allardyce so perhaps he's one of the "high profile" managers involved in this scandal? Just to be clear, that's just speculation, not accusations.

Pearson is for the chop.

As for Alladyce, I'd say he is toast. He does have an unfortunate braggadocio in his character but who'd come in apart from the U21 manager for the next game?

Billy86

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Pearson is for the chop.

Couldn't happen to a nicer bloke.

rob316

They should wait for a decent alternative anyway, appoint Southgate on an interim basis, don't go running to Pardew or worse Steve Bruce. There will be a high profile casualty in the premier league soon enough.

Corholio

I always find it strange that people put a lot of the blame on journalists in these situations. We all know they are after stories but if you give them one it's your own fault. I think an interesting thing to find out would be how many of these undercover operations never made it to print, where nothing controversial or worth printing was said. I'm sure there's been quite a few but we only hear about the ones that make the headlines.

Harry Palmr

If I were the unwitting agent who was used by the Telegraph I'd be hopping mad I have to say.

Lord TSC

Corholio wrote: »

I always find it strange that people put a lot of the blame on journalists in these situations. We all know they are after stories but if you give them one it's your own fault.

That, and I'd imagine that very rarely do these stings catch people participating in their first and only misdemeanor. I'd imagine that usually these stories are a single example of multiple happenings. I can never help but feel that if someone is caught doing things once, it's more than likely they've done it multiple times before being caught...