Latest news with #BigSam
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Sam Allardyce mystery mural gains former England manager's approval
Why a 10ft mural of the former football manager Sam Allardyce eating orange, battered chips has appeared in his home town of Dudley is something of a mystery. The man himself however is chuffed. 'Just seen the mural,' he said in a video message to ITV News. 'Absolutely privileged to be honest with you, I thought it was a very good likeness. 'Chips look a bit hot, but I really enjoyed seeing it. Whoever did it, thank you very much!' The mural of the 70-year-old is believed to have been pasted on to a wall near a chip shop in the centre of Dudley on Wednesday. The reaction so far has been mixed. 'It's a bit odd as it doesn't have a slogan or any words, but it brightens up the place,' said one man out shopping on Friday. A local worker, who asked not to be named and admitted he did not know who Big Sam was, described it as 'the random-est thing I've ever seen'. He added: 'Who is it? It's just weird, it doesn't make sense and it needs to go.' Allardyce, or Big Sam as he was and always will be known to football fans, is used to dividing the crowd. During his managerial career he became known as a survival specialist, taking charge at Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Leeds United – as well as England for one match. He was never afraid to say what he thought. As were fans of clubs he managed. During a miserable 6-0 defeat at Manchester City, West Ham repeatedly chanted 'fuck off Sam Allardyce'. In his memoir not long after Allardyce described West Ham fans as 'brainwashed' and 'deluded'. He once said he would win the league every year if got to manage a club like Real Madrid. Allardyce joked that the reason he would never manage one of the top four English clubs was because his surname was not Allardici. For some, the mystery of the new mural will be: who is the artist and why? For others it will be: what the heck are orange chips? There is a debate over the origin of orange chips – as in chips fried in an orange batter. Some say they have been around since the second world war and rationing. Others claim they date to the 1970s. What makes the batter orange is often a secret. Some think it might be best not to know. During lockdown, the Birmingham Mail published an orange chip recipe for people to try at home and the extra ingredients were paprika and orange food colouring.
USA Today
09-03-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'I want it to be a surpise': Cowboys' Williams speaks to 2.0 him, says 'Big Sam ready'
'I want it to be a surpise': Cowboys' Williams speaks to 2.0 him, says 'Big Sam ready' Sam Williams. Cowboys fans haven't forgotten the name, even if the draft cottage industry has lost track of his whereabouts over the years. Since being selected in 2022, mentions of Williams have ebbed and flowed for two seasons— whether about underutilization, inconsistency, or flashes of raw pass-rushing brilliance that teased an imminent breakout. A brutal ACL and MCL tear in the build up to 2024's all-important Year 3 ended those convos. A season of "what could have been" turned into silence as he underwent season-ending surgery and landed on IR. Seven months post-injury though, the silence is breaking. Questions about Sam Williams' trajectory are back on the table. Will 2025 be the year he levels up, finds consistency, and becomes a real force in the Cowboys' pass rush? The conversations are picking back up because Williams himself is inspiring the talk. 'Big Sam ready.' And he says it with a grin, one that suggests he knows something others don't yet. He's locked in on recovery, dialed in on his body, and focused on proving that when he gets his shot, he's making it count. Bigger, Stronger, and Built for Impact One thing's for sure: Big Sam is getting even bigger. Over the past few months, Williams has been all about body recomposition. Step one? Drop weight. At one point, Williams slimmed down to 238 pounds, 23 pounds below his scouting combine weight in 2022. Step two? Bulk back up with precision—packing on muscle, not just mass. Now, he's sitting at 260 pounds with a 15.7% body fat, a number right in the sweet spot for an athletic, explosive defensive player. No fancy calipers were on hand for measurements, but Williams didn't need them. He made it clear; he's stronger, leaner, and more explosive than before, and he's not done yet. The rehabilitation process is still ongoing and Williams hinted his frame could fill out even more as he continues fine-tuning his strength, size, and explosiveness ahead of camp. 'I've been lifting weights. Squats, deadlifts, upper body stuff, and I've been running,' he said. Simple. Direct. And from the way he said it, effective." Right now, it's all about strength and conditioning; building a base before shifting into sport-specific movements. But no one should mistake that for a slow approach. Williams is hungry. 'Training camp gon' be lit,' he said, flashing that same confident smile. And if anyone is wondering just how lit, well, Williams painted a vivid picture of what he expects from himself this summer. But before any of that could be published, he cut it short with a smirk and a simple request: What we can say? He sees himself as a 'silent killer.' Someone who won't just show up—he'll show out. The Wild Card: Discipline Under Eberflus Of course, no conversation about Williams is complete without talking about the elephant in the room: penalties. The same guy who can fire off at the snap like a missile has also been known to make referees fire off far too many flags. And with Matt Eberflus now calling the shots on defense — a coach known for leading some of the least-penalized units in the league — how exactly does Williams fit?The former Ole Miss product has zero interest in discussing public opinions about his attitude or maturity. Even the boldest journalists might hesitate to print his response to those style questions. Williams has been talking to coaches to develop the attack plan, he's been putting in the work necessary to execute it, and in 2025, he expects the conversation to center around just one thing: his production. 'Big Sam ready.'
