Sam Allardyce details personal cost of returning to management with West Brom

Sam Allardyce's bid to dig struggling West Brom out of a hole might just have him reaching for the hair dye.

The 66-year-old jokes that his latest firefighting mission is becoming more like 50 shades of grey.

Albion are in deep trouble and though Allardyce appears to have shored up the defence, his players aren't coming up with the goals.

They really have to come away from Crystal Palace with all three points this weekend to realistically stage any kind of escape.

Allardyce admits: “I've only been here a couple of months and my missus says my hair's going whiter already.

“The 38 points mark is historically enough and I think 38 will be enough this time. By the time this has all finished, I will either have completely grey hair or none at all!”

The Baggies were shipping goals when Big Sam was brought in days before Christmas. But, after conceding 28 goals in his first 10 league matches, they have conceded just twice in the last five games.

That's given them one win, three draws and one defeat but while that's encouraging, it's goals at the other end proving the problem, with Allardyce adding: “We have to start scoring.

“You get the clean sheet so the lads have the opportunity that if they only score one goal they will win the game but we are not doing that.

“Our last goal in open play was Manchester United. That was big Mbaye Diagne with a great header but then he went on to miss two clear cut chances after that.

They blew a big chance to beat fellow strugglers Newcastle at the weekend with Allardyce adding: “All the chances we have missed have stopped us winning games of football. Those three points against Newcastle would have given us a really great opportunity of being a Premier League side next season.

“Now it’s a big task for us because the difference between drawing and losing in our position is massive because you’re not gaining anything on the opposition.

“The only thing that has been missing over the last five or six games has been the quality of our finishing sadly.

“If we can put that right and keep the performances as high as we can, we are just going to have to win as many games as possible and see where it takes us.”

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