Bolton chief: No pot of gold for Allardyce

Charlton 1 Bolton 2

Sam Allardyce has today been told not to expect a cash bonanza for new players even if he guides Bolton into the Champions League.

Big Sam watched his side move into fifth place in the Barclays Premiership with a 2-1 win over Charlton that leaves them just two points behind Everton in the final Champions League position.

But Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside warned Allardyce that he will not be given a massive transfer kitty even if they do qualify for the competition.

Bolton play Everton on the final day of the season at the Reebok Stadium and that game could ultimately decide who clinches fourth spot.

Allardyce refuses to get carried away with the prospect of Champions League football but says he will need a bigger and better squad if they qualify for Europe for the first time in their history.

But Gartside has now made it clear that the club’s prudent spending policy will remain unchanged.

He said: “We’ve got to be careful we don’t see qualifying for Europe as a pot of gold, when it isn’t that at all.

“Our research has confirmed our understanding that there are no guarantees. Clubs have actually given tickets away for UEFA Cup ties just to get their attendance figures up.

“We run a tight ship and it will stay like that. We’ve always run the club on the basis that we only spend the cash we can generate and we can’t guarantee any extra income from the UEFA Cup.

“We’d be taking an enormous gamble if we increased our squad substantially, just for one season in Europe.

“The Champions League is slightly different because that brings more cash. But even then it depends on how many live TV appearances you make. And Leeds United are a prime example of what can happen when you gamble and fail.

“Anyway, it’s not the brightest thing to say that we’d be spending money in the summer, when any club we approached for players would see it as an open chequebook. But the money simply isn’t there, so we’ll do the same as usual - beg, steal and borrow.

“We’ve got a formula that seems to be reasonably successful, judging by the position we are in at the moment.

“To achieve a better league position next year – in other words challenging the top three – would cost us £200m (€293.2m), not £5m (€7.3m). So we might as well carry on in the way we have become accustomed.”

Allardyce though is more concerned with reaching Europe first before talking in depth about the money to boost a squad that has worked wonders this season.

Allardyce says: “Europe is the goal and while we can keep talking about it we have to make sure it happens on the pitch. There are only a few players who have not played in a European competition in some way or another on a regular basis.

“While we are running out of games Everton have some fixtures that are tougher than ours. What we are really trying to do is hang on to make we secure a UEFA Cup position first and foremost.”

“The Champions League is still a long shot for us. We are going to have to rely on Everton slipping up. But we would dearly love to continue the way we are going and Everton is our last game of the season at the Reebok Stadium.

“When that game comes around we would really like to have something hanging on it.”

Bolton were always in control against Charlton at the Valley and got off to a dream start when Jay-Jay Okocha scored from the penalty spot after Hermann Hreidarsson handled.

Francis Jeffers levelled in the 29th minute but substitute El-Hadji Diouf headed the matchwinner three minutes after replacing Kevin Davies.

Charlton’s goalscorer Francis Jeffers today labelled his season as the worst of his career. The former Everton and Arsenal striker is disappointed with the way things have gone for him but he’s now hoping to make an impact in the remaining games of the campaign.

With main striker Shaun Bartlett now out for the remainder of the season, Jeffers is desperate to seize his chance.

Jeffers admitted: “I would go so far as saying this has been the most disappointing season of my career. I came to the club in the summer with very big ambitions to get into the side, to do well and score goals.

“It really hurts to keep sitting on the bench and I’m desperate to play. It would be a massive blow for me if I don’t get a run in the side now. I just want to look forward and try to finish strongly and play as many games as possible.”