Adam Johnson: Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce pleads ignorance over former player's guilt

Manager tells press conference: 'I am not a lawyer, I’m a football manager'

Sam Allardyce, right said the Adam Johnson case had caused the most difficult period of his career (Getty)

Sam Allardyce said he was completely unaware that, according to a court hearing, a Sunderland official had been shown documents that pointed towards Adam Johnson’s guilt in May last year and the manager also admitted that he was revulsed by the player’s child sex convictions.

Allardyce spoke publicly for the first time since Johnson was found guilty of one charge of sexual activity with a child, for which he faces up to 10 years in prison.

The 28-year-old former England winger was first arrested 12 months ago and suspended by Sunderland, but returned to play 28 times and score two goals, despite the charge hanging over him.

Sunderland have faced widespread criticism for using the player but Allardyce, when asked if he knew there were documents that have allegedly been seen by the club which pointed to the player’s guilt, said: “No. I’m the manager, why would I know that?

“Adam, as far as I know, pleaded not guilty from the day I arrived. Based on that we let him train and play for us. All of us were stunned and shocked the day before when I heard the [player’s] guilty plea. I was sat at home and it came on the news. I was gobsmacked.”

He was asked if he was revulsed by the player’s actions. “Absolutely,” he replied. “You know it’s not nice to know that you’ve worked with a player, and he’s ended up being found guilty of that offence. Like I said, we have no sympathy for him. All our sympathies lie with the victim and her family. He has to take whatever sentence he gets on the chin and we have to move on as a football club.”

In what was a highly charged press conference, at which journalists were repeatedly instructed to ask questions about Saturday’s match at Southampton rather than the trial, which concluded on Wednesday, the manager added: “I’m not comfortable answering any questions on Adam Johnson. I’m trying to take some responsibility on behalf of what has happened with it to answer some questions. The difficulty is that I am not a lawyer, I’m a football manager.”

Allardyce conceded it had been the most difficult period of his career. “It’s massive because we’ve all know what’s been going on regarding the outrage from it,” he added. “All I’ve had to do is try to focus the players not to be distracted by the outrage and concentrate on their football.

“It’s a hugely difficult situation to be in and one I’ve never found myself in before and, quite frankly, wouldn’t like to find myself in again. From a player’s point of view, [I have to] keep them focused and, obviously, they will have kept their own eyes peeled on what they’ve heard and what they’ve read. They are all as disappointed as we are.”

Allardyce, who took over at the Stadium of Light in September, was asked if he would have played Johnson if he had known about the documents. “It’s a hypothetical question and I don’t answer hypothetical questions,” he said.

The Sunderland chief executive, Margaret Byrne, who it was claimed in court had seen the documents regarding the messages between Johnson and the 15-year-old girl, has still to speak on the matter.

A club statement insisted that they did not know the player was going to plead guilty until he did so.