Manager Slaven Bilic is expected to be sacked by West Brom as the club’s Chinese owners have already determined they needed a change.
Bilic oversaw a spirited 1-1 draw at Man City and now, Albion’s Chinese owners have already decided and determined they need a change in direction to preserve their top-flight status.
The club owners will hold talks with Bilic to discuss his departure and will turn to former England boss Allardyce to lead them to safety. Allardyce, now at 66, has performed similar tasks at Sunderland, Crystal Palace, and Everton and is likely to bring in trusted assistant Sammy Lee on a deal, initially, to the end of the season.
Albion expects a backlash from supporters following their promotion from the Championship and their prudent spending. Although, they have held reservations about performances and results since February.
Allardyce is viewed as a coach of proven pedigree and track record of escaping relegation battles. They hope he will be in place before Sunday’s Midlands derby against Aston Villa at the Hawthorns.
According to a Sportsmail report last Thursday, Bilic’s job was under serious threat, with the weekend defeat by depleted Newcastle United did nothing to dampen relegation fears. Albion has won just one of their opening 13 matches in the top-flight since gaining promotion last season.
Bilic tried to deflect questions about his future on Tuesday night but admitted the situation was out of his hands. He said, “I’m very calm”.
“I’m doing my job. I’m not bothered about my future. I can’t be more proud of what my team showed tonight. The other things are out of my control and I’m not bothered”.
“I’m really proud of the boys. We asked them to work hard, to frustrate them and to wait for our chances and we’ve done everything. We helped each other and we counted on goalkeeper Sam Johnstone”.
“But that’s what you need when you come to Etihad if you want to get anything from the game”.