The London Sporting Club prides itself on inviting big names with big stories and big reputations to be their lunch guests so it is entirely appropriate that out first star name from the world of football is Sam Allardyce. Big Sam has been for many years one of the top managers in English football, gaining a reputation for at first making clubs such as Bolton punch way above their weight in the top flight and then, later, being the go-to man to drag Premier League teams away from relegation. He did it at Sunderland and he did it at Crystal Palace, too, last season, as well as being boss at Blackpool, Notts County, Blackburn, Newcastle and a West Ham side he got promoted into the Premier League. He was, of course, England manager last year for a solitary game before resigning under a well-chronicled cloud, but his success in guiding Palace away from danger went a long way to restoring his reputation before he surprised the football world once more by walking away from Selhurst Park. Controversial, plain-speaking, and with football oozing from his veins, Big Sam is sure to help make this big lunch a big occasion.