'You have to love our Sam!' - Residents react as mysterious artwork of former West Brom boss appears overnight in Dudley
The former England boss was spotted eating a bag of chips in a playful mural in his Dudley hometown.
Residents and shoppers of Dudley flocked to the town centre to catch a glimpse of the now-viral Sam Allardyce mural that seemingly popped up overnight on Wednesday.
The 10ft sticker shows the football legend eating a large bag of orange chips and has gone viral, and has since appeared in headlines all over the UK.
The new landmark even prompted a response from Allardyce himself, who thanked whoever bought the mural for his hometown.
Allardyce, who was born and raised in Dudley, told ITV News: "Just seen the mural that has been sent of me in Dudley, my home town.
"Absolutely privileged to be honest with you, I thought it was a very good likeness. The chips look a bit hot, but I really enjoyed seeing them. Whoever did it, thank you very much!"
Now, Dudley shoppers and residents who rushed to the town centre to see the mural have said that it is a great addition to the town, wth one saying it is 'great to see our Sam'.
One shopper, who only wanted to be named Tracey, said: "It's pretty funny to look at. I thought it was graffiti to start with, but it's a big sticker.
"It's good to see our Sam back again."
Many were shocked at its sudden and mysterious appearance, with some asking the ones responsible to speak up to be praised.
Andy Taylor, 54, of Dudley, said: "It's funny to look at. I really love it, I think most people do. It's not paint, it's just a big sticker, so it's not ruining the wall or anything.
"I think whoever did it needs to speak up, because you're a genius. Brilliant stuff."
However, while most think the mural is 'brilliant stuff', a small few obviously thought otherwise, as Sam's elbow had already been vandalised and ripped.
Jordan Fletcher, 35, of Dudley, added: "It's a shame about Sam's elbow, though. We can't have anything nice or funny in Dudley anymore, just a bunch of vandals.
"I love it, though. I've never seen the street so popular. It's really good."
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