Sam Allardyce EXCLUSIVE: Newly-appointed West Brom boss is back and ready to wind up Jurgen Klopp and co as he targets another miracle relegation escape

Sam Allardyce joined Jim White and Simon Jordan on talkSPORT for his first interview since being appointed West Brom manager.

The veteran boss has replaced Slaven Bilic, who was sacked after his side's poor start to the Premier League campaign which saw them take seven points from their first 13 games.

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It is Big Sam’s eighth different Premier League club in a career spanning more than 500 games and, having never been relegated, he is relishing the prospect of trying to lead the Baggies clear of danger.

“I hope I can have the same influence at West Brom that I have had at many other clubs, Sunderland, Blackburn, even Everton, and Crystal Palace,” he said.

“It is the type of jobs people look out for me to try and do and that is what I recognise now.

“West Brom had a fantastic last season and were promoted but just can’t find a way to win, My motive is try to get them to do the right detail, change the small things that might get them that victory.

“Slaven is a great guy, I know him, but it is what it is when the board make a decision and I am here to try and save West Brom and keep them in the Premier League for next season.”

Allardyce is renowned as a survival specialist and while he believes he has deserved greater opportunities in the past, he is delighted to be back in the game after more than two years since he was shown the door by Everton.

He added: "I set my career out working in all the divisions, up the divisions, to finally get to Bolton. People might forget what we actually built at Bolton, we ended up in Europe, Carling Cup final, top eight finish. That soon gets forgotten in this game and life took me in a different direction.

"I lost all that credibility because Newcastle had a change of ownership and moved me on, Blackburn had a change of ownership and moved me on. Then it was ‘where next?’ And it became what I have been doing for the last few years in, 'get Sam in, he might help you stay up'.

"It is what it is. I enjoy working with players. I have been out for the longest time I have ever been out and I thought I was over it, but I’m not."

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Allardyce also admitted he won't be afforded the same backing he got in his last job at Everton when the January transfer window comes around.

The former England manager was given a whopping £277million war chest by Toffees owner Farhad Moshiri, but the Baggies will not be investing to anywhere near that figure.

Responding to Jordan's question in regards to strengthening his squad, Allardyce said: "Not to that level [of backing]. That was one of my first questions - I might need help in January if we can [do business].

"And that's if we can find a better player than what we've already got and only if it's a better player would I want to bring him in. That's a difficult task because of COVID-19, the understanding of the club and where they are at the moment.

"They [the board] are prepared to get some players and we need to find who those players are. Who wants to let a player go in this pandemic? That is a particular problem.

"I can't suggest at this moment in time how many players we need. By the time I'd finished four weeks and no wins in six games at Crystal Palace I knew exactly what I needed to do and pushed Steve [Parish] beyond the brink of where he wanted to go but it paid off in the end.

"It's going to be a very important part. It was a fantastic gutsy performance at Man City. It's always good when a player sees a new player come in and sees that player on the training ground who is going to make them better.

"The difficult is finding that player and we'll have to do our best to try and do that."

Allardyce's tactics have drawn criticism from some quarters in the past - not least from rival bosses.

Asked if he is looking forward to facing the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Carlo Ancelotti, he replied: "I just hope I can wind them up again, that is all!"