Sam Allardyce Loses His Cool Pushes De Andre Yedlin Into Hoardings

 

Sam Allardyce led the way with a show of fighting spirit as his Sunderland team registered a decisive 3-0 win over Norwich which puts them just one point behind their relegation rivals with a game in hand, after goals from Fabio Borini, Jermain Defoe and Duncan Watmore.

In a game Sunderland could barely afford to lose, they dragged Norwich back into the relegation scramble following a tense start to the game which saw Allardyce at the centre of a 15-man touch-line shoving match after Norwich’s Robbie Brady had shoved DeAndre Yedlin off the pitch and into the advertising hoardings. Allardyce and his goalkeeping coach Adrian Tucker squared up to Norwich players who rushed to the scene and the Sunderland manager revealed he was ticked off by referee Andre Marriner following his intervention.

Allardyce said “I didn’t know I still had that strength, I got a bit carried away, which is what happens with emotions in the game, and with such a big game. I don’t know why the Norwich players came running over so much. I was bit disappointed the fourth official didn’t stop the Norwich players encroaching into my box. I was protecting my box and my players at the time. But certainly I was going to protect all my players, my mob. And I hope Andre don’t get ticking off for not doing more with me. In the end he just said: Calm down will you?’ And I just said: ‘Ok, I’ll do my best”

The players responded in kind with a 3-0 win which could yet provide a springboard to safety.  Fabio Borini scored the first from a penalty after being fouled by Andre Wisdom and said that the Norwich defender’s challenge was so dangerous that it could have resulted in a serious injury. 

Allardyce was reminded ahead of the match on Saturday that his side would be contesting the Friendship Trophy against Norwich. It is a cup that has been played out between both teams since Norwich beat Sunderland in the 1985 Milk Cup final, yet it has been dubbed the most pointless in football.