Leeds United fans may wish they could forget Sam Allardyce’s time at the club, and it appears the man himself has, as he sent a video message to Pep Guardiola.
Pep Guardiola, a famous disciple of Marcelo Bielsa, will take his 1,000th game as a head coach this weekend when Manchester City take on Liverpool in the Premier League.
As part of the tributes to the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich man, Sam Allardyce was one of several Premier League managers to pay tribute to the revolutionary coach.
Allardyce was only at Leeds for four games as they suffered relegation from the Premier League in the 2022/23 season, the first game of which was a defeat at the Etihad Stadium against Guardiola.
However, it appears that Allardyce has wiped that game from his memory, according to his tribute ahead of Guardiola’s landmark game.
Sam Allardyce managing Leeds United vs Tottenham
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Sam Allardyce makes Leeds United gaffe in Pep Guardiola tribute
Speaking in his tribute to Guardiola, in a package put together by Sky Sports, Allardyce paid tribute to Guardiola for reaching his landmark appearance.
However, Allardyce made reference to managing four clubs against Guardiola, completely overlooking his unsuccessful meeting against City during his time with Leeds.
Allardyce said: “Congratulations, Pep, on getting a thousand games as a manager and getting in the LMA Hall of Fame. If you remember, our past first crossed in maybe 2005 or 2006, when I was in Barcelona for a couple of hours with you to try and get you to sign for Bolton Wanderers, all those years ago.
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“Four clubs I managed against you – Crystal Palace, Everton, Sunderland and West Brom. Unfortunately for me, I never got to win any of those.
“But it was a great pleasure meeting you and getting to know you over those years. So all the very best for the season and good luck.”
With one draw and three defeats from his short and unhappy spell at Leeds, Allardyce can perhaps be forgiven for trying to put his time at Elland Road out of his mind.
Neil Warnock looks on during Leeds United v Huddersfield Town - npower Championship
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Fellow former Leeds United manager Neil Warnock joins Pep Guardiola tribute
Allardyce was not the only former Leeds manager to appear in the video, as Neil Warnock also paid tribute to the Manchester City boss.
Warnock’s spell at Leeds was slightly longer than Allardyce’s, as he took charge of 62 games between 2012 and 2013. His time at the club also ended in acrimony as he parted company with Leeds, having failed to take them out of the Championship.
The former Leeds boss said: “I just want to wish you congratulations really for your thousand games. It’s a great achievement. You’re only like a young man now, a young pup trying to catch me up.
“There’s 620 more to do to catch me up, but I’m sure you’ll give it a go. But the level that you are at now, son, and I’m quietly smiling to myself at the moment because you’re really going about things quietly.
“Nobody’s giving you any chance or anything, and I love it when it’s like that, almost like an underdog. So congratulations, I look forward to catching up with you during the season and long may your good results continue.”