Sam Allardyce took great exception with Michail Antonio's characterisation of his preferred playing style after West Bromwich Albion's defeat to West Ham United on Wednesday.
Already relegated from the Premier League and confirmed to be leaving Albion at the end of the season, 'Big Sam' was not in great form after watching his side lose 3-1 to the Hammers.
Despite taking a first-half lead through Matheus Pereira, Allardyce's team conceded three second-half goals with Antonio grabbing the third to secure a win for David Moyes' men.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the result, Antonio answered a question about the performance and how it is to play against a Sam Allardyce team.
"Big guys hitting the channels," he remarked of the challenges a team faces, "you know how Sam always plays."
Pretty innocuous at first glance, when Allardyce subsequently spoke to the broadcaster he was not best pleased.
"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
"Unlike Michail Antonio's statement that I've just heard," he began, "saying that we've just got big men who just play in the channel.
"He's just insulted me and my team, so, I know he's a nice lad but it was disgusting what he said.
"I think he should go back and watch the game and see how we really played."
Not content to leave it there, Allardyce proceeded to explain why he believed the West Ham forward was wrong in his judgement.
"I mean, our front two are 5' 10 and 5' 9," he noted of Hal Robson-Kanu and Pereira, "so I don't know what big men he saw running in the channel."
After it was confirmed that Sam Allardyce would be leaving West Bromwich Albion upon their return to the Championship, he discussed the short-term nature of his appointment.
Pointing the finger at football pundits, he suggested that his name and reputation have been tarnished by inaccurate readings of how he prefers the game to be played.
"You never talk about anything else, just like Michail Antonio," he complained, "it is a load of crap and it always has been a load of crap.
"I've never played the same way at any football club I've been at."
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
