And that, according to friends who know Allardyce well, has been on his mind ever since. Allardyce didn't want to walk out on Bolton and he said when he turned down Shepherd "it is the right offer at the wrong time".Big Sam Would Join Newcastle "In A Flash"
And that, according to friends who know Allardyce well, has been on his mind ever since. Allardyce didn't want to walk out on Bolton and he said when he turned down Shepherd "it is the right offer at the wrong time".Shepherd has publicly insisted that Roeder will be his manager next season and the two have discussed transfer budgets. But that was before Allardyce suddenly took a walk out of the Reebok. And we all know how Shepherd can talk with a "forked tongue", and is very easily swayed if he feels it will take some of the pressure off him.
And that pressure is very much ON Shepherd and his manager, and the chairman knows he is on his last legs if next season is another failure. The Geordie public are sick of each and every season since Kevin Keegan left being a campaign of "nothingness". They don't have faith in the chairman or the manager, and this could be Shepherd's one and only chance to gain some "Browney points".
The Times: "Sam Allardyce resigned as Bolton Wanderers manager yesterday to pursue a new challenge, and that is either at Manchester City or Newcastle United. "Allardyce informed Phil Gartside, the Bolton chairman, on Friday that he intended to leave the club and take a sabbatical after eight years in charge at the Reebok Stadium. Gartside suspected that he had lined up another job and even contacted City officials to ask whether this was the case before reluctantly deciding yesterday to accept his resignation with immediate effect and to replace him with Sammy Lee, his assistant.
"Lee's appointment could be confirmed as early as today, but Allardyce's future is less clear. His prospects of landing the City job, occupied at present by Stuart Pearce, appear to be largely reliant on a takeover bid by Ray Ranson, the club's former player.
"Ranson's hopes of gaining power at the City of Manchester Stadium remain in the balance, however, with two consortiums — one American and the other led by Thaksin Shinawatra, the deposed Prime Minister of Thailand — preferred by the club's board.
"Newcastle, meanwhile, have yet to make a decision on Glenn Roeder's future as manager. Allardyce rejected the job in 2004, but is certain to be among the contenders if Roeder is dismissed.
"The Tyneside club have also shown interest in Sven-Göran Eriksson, the former England head coach, as revealed by The Times this month. Senior Newcastle officials last night distanced themselves from a bid for Allardyce's services."