Quotes from Sam Allardyce

Mum wasn't scared of dad but I'm sure she got fed up with him taking her for granted... When I look back it was an empty relationship but I doubt there was ever a question of them splitting up. It wasn't the done thing.

There's always going to be a time when there's a difficult period and my responsibility is to manage the players through that. You have to make sure you bring stability back to the club and get where you want to be.

My time at Bolton was fantastic. I didn't want to go. It's a fantastic stadium with fantastic fans, but I want to disappoint them.

It's difficult in your life when both parents pass so quickly and you're not really that old when they move on. There is a big gap in your life. There's a hole. You learn to live with it but never forget it.

Since Newcastle I've had a fantastic time at Blackburn and then here, at West Ham.

Jay Jay Okocha. On and off the field he was the captain you looked for.

It's extremely depressing that a country of this magnitude, and where it thinks it lies in itself, can allow so many foodbanks to be operating in this country.

Historically almost every team I've managed has returned from even just a five-day break with improved physical output.

There's always that time in football where people say that when you have the dip, it's how well do you overcome it. And when you do overcome it, you then end up being a much better player and generally your career lasts a lot longer after getting through that period.

The vast sums of money that are coming in at the top end of the game are stretching the rest of the sides to try to get as much benefit out of what finance they've got and get the best players they can find for that finance.

There is a lot of pressure at first when you first take over a club that's struggling but you want to go and do your best for yourself, your family and the club that employ you.

A group of players go out and win a game in a style that gets the best out of them. That's the key to management.

In adversity you have to become stronger and make sure you don't make those mistakes again so you learn from it.

From an early stage in my career, if you're talking about picking up knowledge, it would have been via Ian Greaves who was involved in my success as a young player at Bolton. And working under managers such as Bobby Gould and George Graham helped me to expand my knowledge at bit more.

Man-management is my biggest asset, to help the players enjoy themselves and be better than they already are.

It is about trying to entertain and win, that is the ultimate, but you have to keep winning first to change the things that need to change.

The type of football I played at Everton, the fans said it wasn't good enough and I would say the same - I knew it wasn't good enough for Everton - but I knew I had to get them in the position where they were safe.

I've always thought Everton was a great club.