Will Sam Ever Keep his Gob Shut?

Even when he was manager of Bolton Wanderers and the team was doing well, Sam Allardyce`s habit of whoring himself to the media could get a little irritating. Now that he`s in charge of Blackburn Rovers, fans of that club will have the privilege of peering at the TV, listening to the radio or eyeing the newspapers with a slightly queasy feeling. As journalist Paul Wilson once observed, somewhat cattily, ‘Allardyce tends to do to the English Language what his team do to the beautiful game.`

After re-stating his disappointment at failing to get the England job last week, Sam has moved on to the prospects of keeping Blackburn in the Premier League. ‘The relegation battle is one of the most difficult things you can face as a Premier League manager. I think the difference here is they have got the talent,` he said.

‘No disrespect to my old Bolton side but there was not as much talent in it, but they were great in terms of hard work and organisation. The Bolton team grew into a very good all round team, one that was not just built on team spirit, they had great skill.

‘These lads at Blackburn have already got the talent but they have let it be misguided and allowed it to be wasted.`

Not that there`s anything inaccurate in what he says, but it appears to be stating the bleedin` obvious. Blackburn have a better squad now, than Bolton, newly arrived in the Premiership, did in 2001. Thanks Sam. We`d never have worked that one out for ourselves. Tomorrow, Mr Allardyce explains how the number of points gathered over a season directly affect`s a team`s survival prospects.