Bolton manager Gary Megson is relishing locking horns with Sam Allardyce when his side travel to Blackburn for a crucial North West derby on Wednesday night.
The Premier League encounter has been given added spice as Allardyce is a former Trotters boss.
There is also everything to play for given only two points separate the sides as a resurgent Rovers are unbeaten under Allardyce, while the Trotters have lost their last four league games.
Megson is under no illusions that his side face a tough time against Rovers - who can jump ahead of the Trotters with a win - but he is targeting a victory himself.
He said: "They set off well under his (Allardyce's) management. He is a proven manager and has tightened things up at Blackburn and has got them scoring goals.
"I saw an interview that Sam did when he said it always adds a bit of spice when you are playing against someone you worked for because you want to beat them a little bit more.
"They did that against Newcastle. That was a big thing for him and it will probably be exactly the same from Sam's point of view in the game against ourselves.
"But this is important to us because of the run we have been on. We have to beat the teams in and around us.
"We have done that on a consistent basis this season and we have to do that again."
While Megson admits Bolton owe Allardyce a debt of gratitude for establishing the club in the Premier League, things have moved on.
"This club owes Sam a tremendous debt and the supporters know that. He has done a fantastic job for the club and Bolton did brilliantly under Sam," he said.
"Sam chose to move on. He had six months at Newcastle and it didn't work out there and he has found himself at Blackburn.
"There has been a lot of change, both in Sam's life and in what has gone on at this club.
"You can't be threatened by what has gone on before because every club - unless they are newly-formed - has a past.
"Some managers - and I'm not talking about Sam or myself - talk themselves up in terms of their input into a football club and it is a trap we mustn't fall into.
"Football is always about the players and the supporters."
0 comments:
Post a Comment