Sam Allardyce: King Of The Pragmatists  STOKE ON TRENT, ENGLAND
- OCTOBER 02: (FILE) Manager of Blackburn Rovers Sam Allardyce
looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Stoke
City and Blackburn Rovers at the Britannia Stadium on October 2,
2010 in Stoke on Trent, England. Sam Allardyce has been
appointed as the manager of West Ham, replacing Avram Grant who
was sacked after failing to save the club from relegation.
(Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)  Sam Allardyce's
appointment at West Ham is a pragmatic move by a club who need
results above affection, promotion above adoration, and money
over memories.  Being a good football manager is, obviously, a
very difficult and complex job. It requires a heady and
mysterious blend of tactical nous, motivational skill, luck,
sturdy clothing, a loud voice, excellent pointing technique, a
faint air of unforgiving malice, and a bit more luck. And being
a really good manager requires all of that, liberal sprinklings
of cash, and then some more luck on to