Southampton’s Nigel Adkins: I’ve got a lot of respect for Sam Allardyce

Nigel Adkins insists he has a lot of respect for West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce ahead of Southampton’s trip to Upton Park on Saturday.

The 47-year-old has maintained the Saints’ attacking brand of football which helped achieve promotion to the Premier League, with the south coast club scoring in all but one of their opening games this term.

Meanwhile, Allardyce’s West Ham have earned a reputation as a side which adopts a more direct approach, with the Hammers currently in the top half of the table.

“They [West Ham] have had a great start to the campaign,” said Adkins.

“They’re in the top 10 at this moment in time, they’re very effective in how they play, and I’ve got a lot of respect for Sam Allardyce and how he’s done in football.

“I’ve always listened to him over the years when I’ve gone on coaching courses and he’s presented, because there’s a wealth of knowledge you can pick up.

“It’s about winning games of football. Obviously here at Southampton, we’ve got a certain brand of football which we want to develop and promote.

“We’re looking forward to maintaining that.”

He added: “It’s a brand of football we want to promote but we’ve also got to win.

“It’s an important thing to remember – can you play winning football but also a brand of football that your club wants to be associated with.

“Obviously here we’ve got a Southampton way, we want to bring our youngsters through into the first-team and get it right.”

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