August 18th, 2001 is a date Sam Allardyce will always remember. The day that Big Sam would take charge of his first ever Premier League game after guiding Bolton Wanderers back to the top flight.
The Wanderers would see a host of big-name players come through the doors at the Reebok stadium during his eight-year spell, including the likes of World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff, Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro and the talismanic Jay-Jay Okocha, who lit up the Premier League during his time in England.
Since then, Big Sam has had spells at Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton, West Brom and even England, where he recorded a 100% win rate in his one and only game in charge against Slovakia, thanks to a stoppage time winner from Adam Lallana.
To put his longevity into context: Tottenham interim manager Ryan Mason was just one month old when Big Sam took his first ever managerial gig, as player manager at Limerick in July 1991. Other exhibits that illustrate Allardyce’s longevity include the selection of pictures of fresh-faced Premier League bosses you’re about to see when he took Bolton back to the top flight over 22 years ago.
Mikel Arteta (Arsenal)
- Where: PSG
- Role: Player
- Age: 19
On-loan from Barcelona, a fresh faced Arteta learnt his trade in the French capital alongside a host of stars, including former Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino, Nicolas Anelka and Big Sam’s favourite himself, Jay-Jay Okocha.
Unai Emery (Aston Villa)
El entrenador del @SevillaFC @UnaiEmery_ jugando con el Racing de Ferrol en 2002. #FotografiAS pic.twitter.com/RVXs25M1YA
— AS Historia (@AS_Historia) September 7, 2015
- Where: Racing Ferrol
- Role: Player
- Age: 29
Long before the Spaniard became a Europa League expert, Unai Emery was playing his trade in the Segunda division. He made 61 league appearances for Racing Ferrol, scoring seven goals in his two years at the club.
Gary O’Neil (Bournemouth)
- Where: Portsmouth
- Role: Player
- Age: 18
Gary O’Neil spent seven years at Portsmouth, helping them gain promotion to the Premier League in 2003. Still a teenager, the Bournemouth boss impressed during the 2001/02 season and played the end of the season under Harry Redknapp.
Thomas Frank (Brentford)
- Where: Hvidovre
- Role: Coach
- Age: 27
The Dane spent seven years coaching at Hvidovre, before being named the Denmark U16 manager in 2008.
Roberto De Zerbi (Brighton)
https://twitter.com/rmascout/status/1455957248300175362
- Where: Salernitana
- Role: Player
- Age: 22
Half of the Italian’s rights were sold by his youth club AC Milan to Salenitana for the 2001/02 season. He where he failed to make a single league appearance, before joining Lecce on loan for the end of the campaign.
Frank Lampard (Chelsea)
- Where: Chelsea
- Role: Player
- Age: 23
Just one day after Big Sam took charge of his first Premier League game for Bolton, Frank Lampard was making his bow in the competition for Chelsea in a 1-1 draw against Newcastle.
Roy Hodgson (Crystal Palace)
- Where: Udinese
- Role: Coach
- Age: 54
Roy was sacked just six months after taking the job in Italy, leaving the club ninth in the table.
Sean Dyche (Everton)
Sean Dyche celebrates his equaliser with team mates Christophe Kinet, Leke Odunsi and Neil Harris. Millwall 1-1 Birmingham City. 10th January 2002. The Den, Zampa Road, South Bermondsey, London #Millwall pic.twitter.com/yu3mt9Y9SZ
— Wall Art (@WallArt1885) April 18, 2023
- Where: Milwall
- Role: Player
- Age: 30
The closest Sean Dyche came to becoming a Premier League player was during his time at the Den, losing to eventual winners Birmingham in the play-offs.
Marco Silva (Fulham)
- Where: Rio Ave
- Role: Player
- Age: 24
Marco Silva spent the 2000/01 season with Portuguese side Rio Ave where he made just nine league appearances, before leaving to join Braga B.
Dean Smith (Leicester)
- Where: Leyton Orient
- Role: Player
- Age: 30
The former Aston Villa manager spent five years at Leyton Orient between 1997 and 2003, scoring 32 goals in 239 third division appearances.
Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
- Where: Mainz
- Role: Player
- Age: 34
Following his retirement, the German was appointed Mainz head coach in early 2001, leading them to promotion to the Bundesliga for the first time in their history in 2004.
Pep Guardiola (Man City)
- Where: Brescia
- Role: Player
- Age: 30
After winning 15 honours in 11 years Catalonia, Pep left Spanish giants Barcelona to replace Andrea Pirlo in the Brescia midfield, where he played just one season before leaving for Roma.
Erik ten Hag (Man Utd)
A photo of Erik ten Hag during his playing days at FC Twente ??? pic.twitter.com/3asi39baQZ
— mufcmpb (@mufcMPB) October 21, 2022
- Where: Twente
- Role: Player
- Age: 31
Erik ten Hag’s playing career came to an end during the 2001/02 season, less than 12 months on from winning the KNVB cup with FC Twente.
Eddie Howe (Newcastle)
- Where: Bournemouth
- Role: Player
- Age: 23
The Newcastle manager spent most of his playing career on the south coast with Bournemouth, having two spells at the club before taking over as their manager in 2008.
Steve Cooper (Nottingham Forest)
The incredible journey of former Wrexham, Rhyl and Bangor City player Steve Cooperhttps://t.co/65YIuotomw pic.twitter.com/vVv7XW4Ui2
— Thomas Wynne Lewis ??????? (@TomiCaws) February 7, 2022
- Where: Bangor City
- Role: Player
- Age: 21
Spending his whole career in the Welsh leagues, Steve Cooper began his career with Wrexham. He joined Bangor City in 2000, where he spent two seasons and featured in the Uefa Cup in 2002.
Ruben Selles (Southampton)
Rubén Sellés, nuevo entrenador del Southampton, pasó por Noruega, más concretamente en el Strømsgodset.
Ahí, desempeño la función de analista jefe durante 5 meses, de enero a junio de 2015.
No llegó a coincidir con Ødegaard, que se fue al Madrid cuando llegó el español. pic.twitter.com/W5WCOLUjEb
— Ramon Vilageliu Arnella (@ramonvilageliuu) February 24, 2023
- Where: University
- Role: Student
- Age: 18
Saints’ interim manager studied Sports & Physiology at the University of Valencia, where he left with a masters degree. He then worked as a fitness coach in Greece and at Villarreal, before moving to Russia for several assistant manager positions.
Ryan Mason (Tottenham)
- Where: Tottenham
- Role: Youth player
- Age: 10
Ryan Mason joined the Spurs academy at the age of eight, making his first team debut for the club in 2008. He left the club in 2016 to join Hull City, where he was forced to retire after suffering a fractured skull against Chelsea.
David Moyes (West Ham)
- Where: Preston North End
- Role: Coach
- Age: 38
The Scot missed out taking Preston to the Premier League in 2001, losing 3-0 to Sam Allardyce’s Bolton side in the play-off final. He would leave for Everton at the end of the next season.
Julen Lopetegui (Wolves)
- Where: Rayo Vallecano
- Role: Player
- Age: 34
Julen Lopetegui made the number one spot his own during his spell at Rayo Vallecano, helping his side gain promotion and reach the Uefa Cup semi-finals during his time at the club.