Allardyce warns West Brom players not to allow staff lose their jobs in relegation battle

Sam Allardyce has warned his West Bromwich players that relegation could mean club staff losing their jobs.

The Baggies are 11 points behind 17th-placed Newcastle with eight games remaining.

“The people who would lose their jobs are what the players are responsible for — not just their own livelihood but other people’s livelihoods,” said Allardyce ahead of his side playing Southampton on Monday.

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“It’s the club’s consequences and the people who work here — the offloading and redundancies that would happen. Cutbacks are devastating for a club that is relegated. I experienced it when I went to West Ham in 2011 after they had been relegated. I had to overcome all that devastation of relegation.

“People who had been at the club for years, losing their job through no fault of their own because the players had failed to stay in the Premier League.

“That is not what I want to happen here. Players have that responsibility as well as the responsibility for themselves and their families.”