Sam Allardyce has revealed that the lure of managing Everton was too much for him to resist.

Allardyce's lengthy career will see him bring up his 1000th game as a manager when the Blues host West Brom at Goodison Park on Saturday.

After leaving Crystal Palace last summer, Allardyce took some time away from the game with his wife Lynn, as they prepared to add New Year in Dubai and a South African safari to their list of holidays alongside Hawaii.

However, the former England boss admitted to The Times that he just couldn't say no when he was asked to take charge of Everton back in November.

Allardyce said: "Why did I take the job? Because it's Everton! Because of the ambition, but also the history.

Sam Allardyce during the FA Cup third round match at Anfield

"If you’ve worked in football all your life, you know what Everton is like, but all the lads I know who played for Everton - Peter Reid, Andy Gray, Paul Bracewell, Adrian Heath, Graeme Sharp, Joe Royle - the way they talk about the club, you’re desperate to be a part of that.

"I couldn’t have turned Everton down. I just couldn’t."

In a wide-ranging interview, Allardyce also revealed how meditating has helped him control his rage on the touchline.

The clarity that came with meditation, which he took up while at Bolton, helped him make more rational decisions during games.

Everton manager Sam Allardyce
Everton manager Sam Allardyce

"Transcendental meditation [helped]," he added. "We talked about my hot-headedness and the angry outbursts and we came up with the meditation to help me stay calm and not get so worked up.

"I became calmer, able to make better decisions, tactical changes."

After an initial improvement in fortunes under Allardyce, the Blues are without a win in six and have lost their last three in the Premier League.

Everton were also dumped out of the FA Cup by Liverpool in the 230th Merseyside derby earlier this month, and the Blues boss feels the current slump is down to his players' failure to adapt to a more expansive outlook.

Everton manager Sam Allardyce during the Premier League match against Chelsea
Everton manager Sam Allardyce during the Premier League match against Chelsea

"We started so well and I’m disappointed in myself really because I felt we were ready to start doing a little bit more in possession, to start making a better impression with the ball, and on reflection I’m not sure they were quite ready for that," he said.

"I wanted us to take our best game to Tottenham, but we had a complete reverse, dreadful. That set us back.

"Thinking about our progress, thinking about how these lads psychologically handle these games, they still need a lot of encouragement to be mentally better and stronger.

"The job is to build a team going forward, as the club look towards the new stadium in the future, but right now it’s about stabilising and building up."