Former Newcastle and West Ham boss Sam Allardyce was given the England job back in 2016 but he only managed to keep the job from July to September.
His short reign in charge of the Three Lions came to an end following allegations of malpractice after the Telegraph published footage of Allardyce meeting with fictitious Asian businessmen.
The release of the footage prompted Allardyce to leave his role as England boss by mutual consent with just a single winning game to his name. This also left the door open for current manager Gareth Southgate to take over.
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(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Now with the help of AI bot ChatGPT, we put to bed the question over whether or not Big Sam may have done any better at both the World Cup 2018, Euro 2020 and World Cup 2022.
We will bring you how he finished each tournament and the squads he decided to take along with him.
World Cup 2018
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
As England begin to look like prime Bolton Wanderers on their way to a sixth placed Premier League finish in this AI Big Sam simulation, his England first team has a few surprises.
The full squad:
Goalkeepers
- Jordan Pickford
- Jack Butland
- Joe Hart
Defenders
- Kyle Walker
- Kieran Trippier
- John Stones
- Gary Cahill
- Harry Maguire
- Phil Jones
- Ryan Bertrand
- Danny Rose
Midfielders
- Jordan Henderson
- Eric Dier
- Dele Alli
- Jesse Lingard
- Adam Lallana
- Jack Wilshere
- Raheem Sterling
Forwards:
- Harry Kane
- Jamie Vardy
- Marcus Rashford
- Danny Welbeck
Although a lot of players did head to the World Cup under Southgate, some notable names such Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ashley Young, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph all missed out on Big Sam’s squad.
Adam Lallana, Jack Wlishere and Ryan Bertrand probably being the biggest surprises. Although Wilshere would have still been at Arsenal at the time, he left to join West Ham the same summer.
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The performance
England sadly suffered heartbreak at the World Cup in a semi-final clash with Croatia. The Three Lions only led for five minutes in the game but did Allardyce do any better?
ChatGPT said: “Given England’s relatively favourable draw and the tactical discipline Allardyce emphasises, it’s conceivable that England could have still advanced to the latter stages, possibly the quarter-finals or semi-finals. The style might have been more conservative compared to Southgate’s approach.”
Conclusion: Pretty close
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Euro 2020
Heading into 2020, ChatGPT says this team is Big Sam giving youth a chance but he leaves out one of the most important youngsters.
The full squad:
Goalkeepers
- Jordan Pickford
- Nick Pope
- Dean Henderson
Defenders
- Kyle Walker
- Trent Alexander-Arnold
- John Stones
- Harry Maguire
- Tyrone Mings
- Ben Chilwell
- Luke Shaw
- Joe Gomez
Midfielders
- Jordan Henderson
- Declan Rice
- Mason Mount
- Jack Grealish
- James Ward-Prowse
- Phil Foden
- Raheem Sterling
Forwards
- Harry Kane
- Marcus Rashford
- Jadon Sancho
- Dominic Calvert-Lewin
- Tammy Abraham
Now there are quite a few differences in the squads with one huge name missing that Southgate included – how on earth did he not call up Bukayo Saka?
Other names left out by Big Sam are Conor Coady, Reece James, Kalvin Phillips. However, he did include the likes of Roma’s Tammy Abraham, James Ward-Prowse and Joe Gomez.
The performance
(Image: Getty Images)
As usual, we once again say England heartbreak and it really was. The Three Lions came to their closest opportunity to win a major trophy in years to lose on penalties on home soil. England drew 1-1 with Italy and looked fairly comfortable but could not get a winner, leaving it the chance of penalty luck, which never really goes England’s way.
ChatGPT actually believes Allardyce would have similar joy. It said: “With a more matured squad and the advantage of some games being played at home, Allardyce could have potentially guided England to the semi-finals or finals. His experience in the Premier League suggests he would have been adept at navigating the high-pressure knockout rounds..”
Conclusion: Almost the same (again)
(Image: Getty Images)
World Cup 2022
Now with a settled and more experienced squad, even ChatGPT reckoned this was an experienced line up for success.
The full squad:
Goalkeepers
- Jordan Pickford
- Aaron Ramsdale
- Nick Pope
Defenders
- Kyle Walker
- Reece James
- John Stones
- Harry Maguire
- Ben White
- Tyrone Mings
- Ben Chilwell
- Luke Shaw
Midfielders
- Declan Rice
- Jordan Henderson
- Mason Mount
- Kalvin Phillips
- Jack Grealish
- Phil Foden
- Jude Bellingham
Forwards
- Harry Kane
- Raheem Sterling
- Bukayo Saka
- Jadon Sancho
- Marcus Rashford
- Tammy Abraham
Probably one of the more similar teams from the pair and Big Sam finally called up Saka.
However, Allardyce did leave out Southgate favourites such as Conor Coady (again), James Maddison and Callum Wilson.
But perhaps the most baffling is that he dropped Trent Alexander-Arnold. Allardyce once again backs Roma striker Tammy Abraham to be back up to Kane (we assume but who knows with this wild AI).
(Image: Getty Images)
The performance
Southgate’s men managed to reach the quarter-finals where Harry Kane’s late missed penalty saw the Three Lions lose 2-1 to France.
ChatGPT said: “England, under Sam Allardyce, would likely reach the quarter-finals. The team’s defensive robustness and Allardyce’s tactical experience would help them navigate the group stage and potentially win a Round of 16 match. However, against a top-tier opponent in the quarter-finals, England might struggle to progress further due to a relatively conservative playing style.”
Conclusion: No difference once again
So we will never know the real outcome of an England Allardyce era but AI seems to think we really did not miss too much with despite different style of play, England’s heartbreak remained very much the same.
And we would have loved to tell you about Allardyce’s team in Euro 2024 but the World Cup was his last shot, according to AI.
ChatGPT seem to see quarter-finals as a failure and said the FA would look to review his performance to appoint a “fresh face”.
Tell us your thoughts below if you think Allardyce may have done better than Southgate?