5 things you need to know about England's new manager Sam Allardyce

#4 He was dyslexic as a child and was diagnosed with a blocked artery in 2009

Sam Allardyce was dyslexic as a child and struggled at school. He recalls: “The best day of my life was when I left,” he said.

“Nowadays, I would have had lots of help, but then you were regarded as a bit thick.”

He came to know about his condition only later in his life, but he did not give up at school after seeing others performing better than him.

“Once I got beyond ‘the cat sat on the mat’, I was stuck,” he said. “But I was good at covering up, I just copied what my less-challenged mates were doing.”

In 2009, a pain in his chest was diagnosed as blocked artery. Doctors told him that it was a result of his lifestyle and the stress that came with the game he was involved in. Since then, Big Sam got a new perspective on life. He said: “From that day forward, I never regarded losing football matches as such a catastrophe. Life and living were what mattered and there was always another game around the corner.”