England fans are cautiously optimistic about the Three Lions' prospects at the 2018 World Cup under Sam Allardyce, a 90min poll has shown.
Allardyce was appointed as Roy Hodgson's successor after a hugely disappointing Euro 2016 campaign saw the team win just one game in France, and only 20% of over 60,000 respondents expecting the team to regress under the former Sunderland boss.
An outlying group of 11 per cent claimed that the 61-year-old could lead the team to their second World Cup triumph, 52 years after Sir Alf Ramsey's famous side lifted the trophy on home soil all the way back in 1966.
"?The majority of fans kept themselves positive but sensible though - with the biggest group of around 20,000 expecting 'impressive' performances beyond the group stages in Russia in two years time, while the remaining 32% of responses merely expected Allardyce to drag his side through a World Cup group stage for the first time in eight years.
Allardyce has a daunting task ahead of him after taking over from the departed Hodgson, taking over a team which hasn't won a game of knockout football for over a decade following disappointments at the last two World Cups and last three European Championships - one of which they didn't even qualify for.
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Hodgson's record of one win from seven games in major tournaments will hardly take much beating, but England fans will be expecting more than just the bare minimum, with Allardyce touted as the man to take the team back to the vague and nebulous concept of 'English values' on the pitch in the coming months and years.
The former West Ham and Black Cats boss will take over a team in transition, with a squad full of exciting yet raw young players who are yet to truly prove themselves at the top level despite their obvious talent.
England have only won 6 games in knockout football since 1966:
Paraguay '86
Belgium '90
Cameroon '90
Spain '96
Denmark '02
Ecuador '06
Wayne Rooney and Gary Cahill were the experienced heads in Hodgson's team at this summer's Euros, but neither performed well - with Allardyce refusing to guarantee that Rooney would continue with the captaincy when he spoke to the press earlier this week.
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