Sam Allardyce has conceded he wasn't entirely truthful regarding his plans at West Brom.
The 66-year old will leave the Baggies after Sunday's final Premier League game of the season away to Leeds United.
Allardyce was hired in December with the directive of maintaining West Brom's Premier League status. However, he's overseen just four wins in that time as the West Midlands club slunk back into the Championship.
He had previously claimed he'd be willing to manage in the Championship, but in an interview with Talksport, Allardyce admitted to stretching the truth.
"I wasn’t actually telling you the truth. Initially it was always the fact that if we got relegated I wasn’t going to stay," he said.
"They were pleased enough to see the changes we made and the effort we put in. Not just me and my staff but all together.
“I was very appreciative and comfortable with running West Brom, which is sometimes not the case and can be difficult things behind the scenes that make things more difficult.
“I considered it at great length and really appreciated the offer. For me, it’s about somebody going in long term and to try and get them in the Premier League and keep them in the Premier League.
“It’s somebody who needs a three or four year contract. My position in life, if I’d been in my 50s I would, but I’m in my middle 60s and I didn’t think it was the right thing for me or the football club.
“I might well have got them up, but would have been ‘I’ll stay again’, but I wanted to go now and let them go in another direction.
“Hopefully they make the right choice and hope they do it again.”
"It's disgusting what Michail Antonio said." 😡
Sam Allardyce was unhappy with comments from the #WHUFC striker about #WBA's style of football tonight and believes he doesn't get the credit he deserves as a manager. pic.twitter.com/KFN7VnjiGU— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) May 19, 2021
Meanwhile, Allardyce has doubled down on his disdain for West Ham striker Michail Antonio.
He said he was "disgusted" by Antonio's comments following the Hammers' 3-1 win at The Hawthorns on Wednesday night.
Antonio had told Sky Sports, "They [West Brom] played some free-flowing football... big guys, hitting the channel[s]... you know how Sam always plays so it was definitely a hard game."
Shortly afterwards, Allardyce told Sky, "He's just insulted me and my team, so, I know he's a nice lad but it was disgusting what he said."
And the outgoing West Brom manager wasn't for turning on Thursday.
"The biggest problem in the first place was in the Bolton days when we upset the big boys," he said, "I allowed it to happen, when I should have nailed it there and then.
“We all thought at the time ‘sod everybody else, we’re beating the big boys’ but of course that reputation has never been forgotten.
“So lazy journalists and lazy people like Antonio mention it without even watching how we play, and it’s not just having a pop at me, it’s an insult to the West Brom players.
“They matched West Ham last night and we also got a result against Liverpool because they’re very adaptable.
“I’m an adaptable manager, I always adapt to create a team and play in a style of play that gets results.
“I played a completely different style at Crystal Palace and Sunderland and West Ham. You just have to ignore the noise and get on with your job.”
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