Wayne Rooney and Sam Allardyce in management, unsung heroes and pioneers

What both Allardyce and Rooney agree on is that for a team to succeed, there must be unity and collective buy-in from both players and staff.

It is those on the football field who get the recognition, but Allardyce and Rooney were keen to ensure those working behind the scenes were recognized for the work they did too.

“When I was captain of the England national team, at the end of one year, I sent the whole England coaching staff to Las Vegas and paid them all to go there,” Rooney said.

“I paid for a couple of pool parties for all of them and stuff. Players doing things for the staff make a huge difference.”

Allardyce added: “We named it after the team behind the team, the technical staff.

“We are all one team, but it is the team behind the team that supports them.

“It was about the generosity of the players to the staff at Christmas, because they didn’t have a lot of money.”

For Allardyce, a role that was particularly important – and appreciated – was that of player liaison officers.

“We had two player liaison officers, one male and one female,” Allardyce said. “You can’t imagine the role they played.

“They were the ones who sorted the houses, the mortgages, the bank accounts. They were the ones who took the phone call and picked me up at the airport at midnight.

“They played a huge role. They organized Christmas parties for all the kids to attend and all that.”