Allardyce is not the limited manager as he has sometimes been portrayed and does think more carefully about things than merely barking "4-4-2!" at his players and advising them to score some goals. But, equally, he is not likely to produce brilliant, sparkling football that will leave you gasping in astonishment at its beauty.
Indeed, for long spells of "Slovakia vs. England II: The sequel nobody asked for," it almost looked like the 0-0 draw during Euro 2016 was simply being replayed.
Martin Skrtel provided the first big difference by trying desperately to get himself sent off and eventually succeeding with a stamp on Harry Kane's ankle. The second came in the 95th minute as Adam Lallana scored his first international goal, thus securing the three points and win that exceeded even Allardyce's public, prematch hopes.
As part of a fine tradition among England managers of downplaying expectations, Allardyce declared before the game that he would be happy with a draw, which was perhaps reasonable given the very recent, first-hand evidence England had about how difficult Slovakia were to face.
Realistic it perhaps was, but it wasn't especially inspiring and that was reflected in the game, which was relatively grim fare, a few dashes of quality here and there aside. That said, it does lead one to ask: What exactly did anyone expect?
Allardyce produces largely functional, tough sides who eventually grind out results, or at least usually slightly exceed expectations in terms of results. In all of his club jobs, from Notts County to West Ham, he usually outperforms his predecessor and leaves the clubs in a better position than when he arrived.
That pragmatism is why he was appointed England manager -- an ability to get the best from mediocre players was probably another factor -- but it also means that there should be no surprise when his teams play football that could sometimes be described as "grim."
Winning ugly is Allardyce's modus operandi: This is what he does and, based on his first 90 minutes in charge of England, it's what he will continue to do. If you thought he was the best choice for this job -- of the English candidates, he clearly was -- then you cannot complain when his team plays like they did in Trnava.