Big Sam: 'There's nobody ahead of me in football terms. Not Pep, not Klopp, not Arteta.'

The new Leeds boss had a shot across the bows for those who regard him as a footballing dinosaur.

Leeds United manager Sam Allardyce during a training session at Thorp Arch Training Ground, Wetherby. Picture: Leeds United/Handout Photo/PA Wire.  

THE seeds of Leeds United's potential salvation were sown at, of all places, Soccer Aid - and sealed by Sammy Lee being unable to swerve jury service.

Such an unlikely set of events has seen Sam Allardyce turn to Robbie Keane to bolster his backroom staff at Elland Road after accepting a seemingly impossible four-game mission to save the troubled club from relegation.