Leeds v West Brom: Sam Allardyce won't want to lose final Baggies game

Sam Allardyce will lead Albion out at Leeds tomorrow having confirmed he will leave the club at the end of the season.

The recruitment process is already well underway – with some of the candidates on Albion’s list having been contacted to arrange a first interview.

With a new head coach on the horizon and relegation having already been confirmed, this game really is dead rubber for those of an Albion persuasion.

Allardyce certainly won’t want to lose it. His nature means he’ll be desperate to bow out with a victory.

And that means he’ll be reluctant to experiment with the 66-year-old highly likely to name his strongest line-up.

Loanees Okay Yokuslu, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Conor Gallagher and Mbaye Diagne could all have central roles.

So this game will not be a glimpse into the future – with there sure to be a major overhaul of the squad this summer.

The most important thing for Albion fans right now is knowing there are sufficient funds for that rebuild to take place.

Allardyce has made it very clear why he has decided to leave the Baggies at the end of this campaign. The boss turns 67 in October and feels – at his age – it isn’t right to taking on a long-term project.

If Allardyce was to get promoted with Albion, he would then have to stay another year to try and keep them up.

That, he says, is no longer him. In his own words, he is a short-term appointment, not a long term one.

But despite what he has said, there has been speculation on social media that he has walked away because he wasn’t promised a competitive budget for next season.

And speaking at a press conference yesterday, the Dudley-born chief made it clear those whispers have annoyed him.

“There is no blame – people are still trying to find blame,” Allardyce said.

“They are trying to say I’m moving on because of this or because of that.

“They are saying ‘he’s not been given this or he’s not been given that.’

“Shut up the lot of you because it’s all a load of rubbish.

“It (Allardyce’s departure) has been done amicably, it’s been done in the right way. This is the best way I have ever left a football club in terms of how the negotiation went and what we both decided.

“They thanked me for what I have tried to do and I thanked them for the help they have given me.

“There is no under-current. There should be no whispers because there is nothing else.

“All you people on social media shut up because it isn’t happening. We have done it as well as we could possibly have done it.

“I know the club made me an offer to stay and are disappointed that I didn’t accept it.

“But we have to move on. West Brom have to move on and get the best possible manager they can get – a manager that can get them back into the Premier League.

“I think there needs to be a manager in place for four, five, six years at West Brom.

“That isn’t me anymore.”

Albion will head to Elland Road with star man Matheus Pereira a doubt for the game.

The Brazilian has been outstanding for the Baggies ever since arriving from Sporting Lisbon.

And he is highly likely to leave this summer, with a host of clubs believed to be eager to keep him in the Premier League.

Albion and Pereira will hope Wednesday’s defeat to West Ham wasn’t his last appearance in a Baggies shirt. And Allardyce is going to give the 24-year-old every opportunity to prove his fitness.

“Matheus Pereira has an injury, Allardyce said.

“We are not sure how serious it is. We will look at him in training on Saturday morning and will know then if he will be available or not.”