SAM IS THE NEW BOY IN 1000 CLUB
SAM ALLARDYCE joined the 1000 club yesterday with a glowing testimony from the most successful manager of them all – Sir Alex Ferguson. Big Sam (below) reached his milestone with West Brom’s visit to Goodison. It means Everton boss Allardyce, 63, has been inducted into the
League Managers Association’s Hall of Fame for taking charge of 1000 competitive matches. And legendary former Manchester United boss
Fergie said: “I would like to welcome my good friend Sam into the LMA’s Hall of Fame and 1000 club. “It is an extraordinary milestone, one that takes an amazing amount of resilience and dedication. “Sam has been one of the country’s most forward-thinking managers with the ability to get the very best out of his teams, which makes him a top coach and a great leader. “I’m pleased he is to receive the recognition for all he has done as a manager and I congratulate him wholeheartedly for this achievement.” Allardyce is the fifth England manager to join the 1000 club, after Sven-Goran Eriksson, Roy Hodgson, Sir Bobby Robson and Graham Taylor. PAUL HETHERINGTON ★
OUMAR NIASSE scored the fastest goal by a Premier League substitute this season to rescue a point for Everton.
But Toffees boss Sam Allardyce’s
1,000th game as a manager was marred by an horrific broken leg to midfielder James McCarthy.
Just 56 seconds after replacing
£28million signing Cenk Tosun in the second half, Niasse volleyed in from new boy Theo Walcott’s pass to cancel out Jay Rodriguez’s seventh-minute opener.
It sealed Everton’s first point since their dreary goalless draw at The Hawthorns on Boxing Day and prevented the Baggies moving out of the relegation zone.
And that left manager Alan Pardew upbeat over their survival chances.
He said: “The last three games have brought points but the momentum started before that.
“We’re there. We’re in the mix and this point will hopefully come in crucial for us going forward.
“It’s a great point for us because coming here is difficult.
“I don’t know how much they’ve spent this week, £40m or something, but we subdued all their attacking players.
“There’s disappointment in the dressing room. That’s a good feeling to have and we’ll take that to the next game. You only have that feeling when you’re playing okay.”
On a day that saw both sides salute Albion great Cyrille Regis, Pardew was full of praise for the current Baggies’ No. 9.
He said: “Salomon Rondon was simply outstanding today. He put