Megson - Bolton wheels came off

Wanderers boss still rebuilding after Allardyce's exit

By Rob Parrish   Last updated: 22nd June 2008

Megson - Bolton wheels came off

Megson: Rebuilding Bolton

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Gary Megson has admitted that the wheels came off at Bolton when Sam Allardyce left for his ill-fated stint with Newcastle.

Allardyce's successful eight-year spell at the helm ended in April 2007 when he took over at St James' Park, with Sammy Lee installed in the Rovers hot-seat.

But Lee's time in charge only lasted until October as he was replaced by Megson with Bolton languishing in the bottom three of the Premier League.

The former Stoke, West Brom and Nottingham Forest manager successfully steered the club away from relegation danger, but insists that the rebuilding work required following Allardyce's exit is not yet completed.

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Megson told the Daily Star Sunday: "Big Sam was a huge character.

"It's like having Big Sam was the hub of the wheels, the spokes were the staff and the rim of the wheel is the players.

"If you take away the hub and a massive amount of the spokes, everything tends to collapse. What we've got to do is try to rebuild that."

And Megson is bemused by the fact that some people believe he replaced Allardyce in the Reebok Stadium hot-seat.

He added: "It amazes me the amount of people who think I took over from Sam Allardyce.

"There was a six-month gap between Big Sam leaving and myself coming in here."