Sam Allardyce

It's particularly in the Premier League because there's that many influential people now in the game that the distance between you and the owner is greater with the amount of people you have to work with in between.

and you wonder where the messages are going and where you get to.

So it can really restrict a manager, even down to his players today.

I'm not so sure a manager actually buys the players anymore.

Certainly there's big influences.

My last club, Everton, there were big influences that you had to take into consideration and come to the right decision.

I'm not saying that's right or wrong.

What I am saying, if it's right, that's fine.

If it's wrong...

then the recruitment becomes a disaster, but you pay the penalty.

Nobody else.

You get the sack.

And if part of those recruitment policies have not been your tick, then you fall foul to the fact that you're working with some players that you've considered not to be good enough.

And that is a big pressure on you as a manager today.

And every manager will only succeed if the recruitment policy of the club is very good.

There was many, many times, there's many, many times and many, many phone calls and opportunities that consortiums are going to take over the football club.

You know, there were so many, Cammy, that just contacted me and said, would I help?

And I said, well, if you're taking over the club, I'll be only too happy to help with the right infrastructure and the right financing from the new owners.

Because I knew, living in the town, I knew exactly how big a mess it was in.

And obviously Michael James, who's there, who's a massive Bolton Wanderers fan, has done an absolutely fantastic job rescuing the club.