Sam Allardyce has never suffered relegation as a manager – is this the year his record ends?

Bolton Wanderers, Blackburn Rovers, Crystal Palace, Everton, Newcastle United, Sunderland, West Ham United; and not one single Premier League relegation for Big Sam.

West Bromwich Albion welcome fellow strugglers Newcastle United to the Hawthorns on Sunday afternoon in a relegation six-pointer, with both sides desperate for a win as we approach the tail end of the season.

Allardyce’s Baggies sit 19th in the league, seven points from safety – and the gaffer had a pop at Premier League executives this week for allegedly ‘trying to relegate’ his side.

“We asked if we could play it next Monday and they [the Premier League]said no,” Allardyce said. “And then what do we have to do? Play at 12 on Sunday. Thank you very much, that’s really nice of you at the Premier League, helping us to get relegated, or trying to get us relegated. You can ask for different dates or times but any one we asked for has been completely ignored.”

Albion will be hoping for a compelling change when they host the Magpies, having scored just four goals at home in 2021 – the fewest amount alongside once top of the league Southampton.

New signing Okay Yokoslu, who joined on loan from Spanish outfit Celta Vigo in January has had a monumental impact on the sub-par side – and has some wondering where West Brom would be in the table right now if he’d signed in the summer.

Discounting the outcome of Albion’s season, rest assured, the Turk will likely be playing in the Premier League next year whether it be for a different club or not.

The stability which Yokoslu has added to West Brom’s midfield has finally seemed to settle the backline, with Irishman Dara O’Shea impressing in recent weeks alongside skipper Kyle Bartley.

Before the loss to Everton on Thursday night, the Baggies recorded two consecutive clean sheets against Burnley and Brighton thanks in large part to impressive resistance at the back – playing the notorious ‘relegation football’, battling hard for every ball and disregarding it’s scrappy nature.

Sam Johnstone is in contention for a first England call-up, proving himself as one of the league’s finest goalkeepers on all accounts. The Manchester United academy graduate has recorded the most saves in Europe’s top five leagues this season with a striking 107 stops.

There’s trouble in the camp for Newcastle ahead of the fixture however, as manager Steve Bruce was involved in a training ground bust-up with Matt Ritchie earlier this week. The Scotsman reportedly called Bruce a ‘coward’ after being ‘barged into’.

All the signs are pointing to an even worse end to the week for the club on Tyneside, with star players Miguel Almiron and Allan Saint-Maximin expected to miss the trip to the West Midlands.

According to Opta, since the start of last season, Newcastle have lost all three of their Premier League matches without both Allan Saint-Maximin and Miguel Almiron, failing to score in all three matches.

Magpies frontman Joelinton continues to misfire, leaving supporters baffled as to how the club justified spending £40m on the Brazilian.

With just three goals in 58 league appearances for Newcastle, the striker underperforms by 193% in front of goal – with an xG (expected goals) of 8.8 and averaging just 0.19 xG per match.

A United victory could bolster their survival chances significantly, potentially being able to move up as far as 15th if results go in their favour. 15th and 16th placed Burnley and Brighton face tough contests against Arsenal and Leicester City respectively this weekend.

Nevertheless, an Albion win is seen as fundamental in their bid to stay in England’s top tier, trailing 18th placed Fulham by a hefty six-point gap.

Joe Lyons will be at the Hawthorns this Sunday to assess all the action in a momentous six-pointer at the bottom end of the Premier League table.