Sam Allardyce

Born: October 19, 1954 Birthplace: Dudley Previous Clubs: Newcastle United, Bolton Wanderers, Notts County, Blackpool, Limerick. Honours: First Division play-offs: 2001; Third Division: 1998

Sam Allardyce returned to football management after a year away from the game as the successor to Paul Ince at Blackburn Rovers in December 2008.

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Sam Allardyce: Back in the Premier League

In the days prior to his appointment Allardyce had also been linked with the Sunderland job but his brief stint as manager of arch-rivals Newcastle United turned the tide against him - despite also being a former Sunderland player.

He was never one of the game's greats as a player, but he enjoyed a good career with a host of clubs. The Dudley-born defender brought the curtain down on his career with West Bromwich Albion, but returned to one of his former clubs Preston to get a place on the coaching staff.

Allardyce would launch his managerial career in Ireland, after a spell in the backroom staff back at Sunderland, and his achievements with Limerick soon prompted interest from clubs back in England.

Blackpool handed him the chance to cut his teeth in the Football League, appointing him as the successor to Billy Ayre in July 1994. Allardyce had an immediate impact, transforming a side that had just avoided relegation to the Third Division into a team capable of challenging for promotion.

After a mid-table finish in his first season, Blackpool just missed out on automatic promotion in the 1995-96 season after enduring a horror run at the crucial time. Allardyce paid the price for the dismal end to the season, throwing away promotion, and was replaced by Gary Megson.

'Big Sam' was back in the management game in January 1997 when he was named as the new manager of Notts County. The Magpies had recently sacked Steve Thompson and turned to Allardyce to revive their fortunes. County stormed to the Third Division title in 1998, giving Allardyce his first medal as a manager.

Allardyce was a wanted man. He had already been rejected for the Bolton job on one occasion, but was determined to return to the club where he spent the majority of his playing career. After resigning from the Notts County job on October 14, he resurfaced at the Reebok Stadium just five days later - on his 45th birthday.

At Bolton, Allardyce built up a reputation for rejuvenating aging players and getting the best out of previously way-ward stars. Ivan Campo, Jay-Jay Okocha, El Hadji Diouf and Youri Djorkaeff are just four of the names to arrive at the Reebok Stadium that transformed the club's fortunes.

Another trait of Allardyce's superb tenure at Bolton was his attention to detail across the board. Allardyce is a great believer in analysing every aspect of the game, from diet to fitness regimes to conditioning. Not a man to be messed about, Allardyce commanded a huge amount of respect both within his Bolton squad and across the country. And it was respect which he has earned by bringing success to an unfashionable club by using innovative methods and also his charismatic appearance in the media.

Allardyce's stock grew to such a degree during his time at the Reebok Stadium that he was talked about as a possible future coach of the England national side. Having gained promotion and then consolidated their position in the top flight, the club went on to achieve their highest ever top-flight finish of eighth in 2003-04.

Just as the pundits claimed Allardyce had taken Bolton as far as he can, the manager took them on to another level. Wanderers had a great start to the season and the club finished sixth in the table, just three points from a Champions League place but booking their first ever European campaign in the UEFA Cup.

The following season Allardyce, hounded by 'bung' claims following the BBC's Panorama programme, looked as steady as ever and pulled off another coup by signing £8m striker Nicolas Anelka from Turkish side Fenerbahce. He once again took Bolton into the top half of the Premiership and also steered them into the knockout rounds of the UEFA Cup - eventually finishing eighth in the League.

Having missed out on the England job, Allardyce's eyes were opened by interest from Newcastle and he left the Reebok after eight years in May 2007. Allardyce began his tenure by guiding the Tyneside club to their best ever start in the top-flight but once results started to fade he was criticised for what was perceived as a brand of long-ball football that he had imposed on the Magpies and was replaced by Kevin Keegan.

His St James's Park experience ended with his contract being cancelled by mutual consent in January 2008, after failing to meet the expectations of the board or the fans, and his reputation was dealt a severe blow.

After almost a year out of the game, Blackburn turned to Allardyce to save their season - having sacked Paul Ince - and his first game in charge brought about three goals and, more importantly, three points against Stoke as he kept the club in the top flight for another year with some solid end of season performances.