Source: Team_Talk
Allardyce aiming to keep his cool
Allardyce underwent heart surgery last month to remove a blockage in his femoral artery that medical experts said could have caused a massive heart attack had it been left untreated. [LNB]The stress he has been under since taking his first high-profile managerial role at Bolton 10 years ago is thought to be one of the key factors that caused the problem - and he is now coming around to the fact that some things are more important than football.[LNB]"What's happened is always going to be in the back of my mind and I'm always going to have to pay a bit more attention to myself, but the main thing is not to get so worked up about things," he told the Daily Mail.[LNB]"It's almost impossible in football. In fact it is impossible. But the best way to avoid getting too stressed is to get your players performing to their best for you, making sure they don't let you down. That makes the job a lot less stressful. [LNB]"Look at Brownie (Phil Brown). You couldn't get a bet on him being sacked at Hull. But his players got a few results for him and suddenly the pressure is off again. [LNB]"You work hard to make sure it's not your turn. It's Sparky's (Mark Hughes) turn now after losing 3-0 at Tottenham. He needs a couple of wins now to get people off his back, because that's when the stress comes, when people start talking about you being under pressure."[LNB]Allardyce admits he did consider his options in the recovery period after his operation but the lure of Premier League football proved too enticing.[LNB]"It's hard to walk away when you know it's a job you get better at the longer you do it, when you work so hard to get in the position you've reached in the first place. The longer you do this job, the better you get at coping with the good, the bad and the ugly of football."[LNB]The 55-year-old celebrated one year in charge at Ewood Park on Thursday and is in the process of building an infrastructure which he hopes will ensure the club remain competitive at the very highest level.[LNB]"We're going through a period of transition. We've moved about 12 players in the last year, sometimes because we've wanted to and sometimes because we've had to for financial reasons. [LNB]"But I'm trying to build something here, trying to build a staff around me similar to what I had at Bolton. [LNB]"I take great satisfaction in the fact that certain people have come round to my way of thinking. [LNB]'In the early years there was a lot of jealousy about the amount of staff I had at Bolton. And yet now everyone is doing it. Sports scientists, psychologists, all that kind of stuff. All the staff I had are still working in the Premier League at the best clubs - Chelsea, Manchester City."[LNB][LNB]
