Gary Neville has expressed his bemusement at comments Sam Allardyce has made in his first press conference as Leeds United boss.
Gary Neville took to Twitter to probably sum up how many football fans felt after hearing Sam Allardyce claim that no manager in the Premier League is ahead of him when it comes to knowledge and experience.
Yes, you read that right. Allardyce suggested that he is on a par with the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta.
Neville baffled by Allardyce comments in opening Leeds press conference
In fairness, he is correct when it comes to experience. It is more than 30 years since Allardyce took charge of a team for the first time.
But claiming that he is alongside the Premier League heavyweights when it comes to knowledge is a claim he really did not need to make.
It did appear that Allardyce knew what he was doing. He joked later in the press conference that he had given the journalists their headline with his claim.
But Leeds are in big, big trouble in the battle to stay in the Premier League. On current form, the Whites are likely to be playing Championship football next year.
For many, turning to Allardyce is such a bizarre decision. And Neville clearly could not believe what the new interim boss said in his press conference…
— Gary Neville (@GNev2) May 3, 2023
Perhaps Allardyce is trying to create a siege mentality amongst the Leeds squad as many write them and him off. But it could easily backfire if things do not click for the 68-year-old at Elland Road.
Few on the outside will be laughing if Allardyce does somehow turn Leeds’ fortunes around. But it is no surprise that his comments on Wednesday have led to ridicule.