Bolton prepare plan to share Big Sam with England
From Back Page benefit from an arrangement that would see Allardyce manage England and stay on at Bolton as a part-time advisor to a new coach. Gartside said: ‘I would not stand in his way if a bigger job came along and you can’t get a bigger job than that. It would be hypocritical of me if I tried to stop him going. ‘This is hypothetical at the moment but my hope would be that we could work round the situation and maybe keep him at Bolton part-time if he wanted that. ‘I don’t think it’s practical to say that the manager of England could do the job part-time. But I don’t see why he could not do the England job and still have an influence with us, even in an advisory capacity.’ Gartside was at pains to stress that he does not envisage Eriksson, whose contract runs to 2008, leaving the England job for years to come and that his personal thoughts on a successor remain open. But with Sammy Lee — one of Eriksson’s assistants — impressing at Bolton as the new No 2, Gartside appears to have a ready replacement for Allardyce should a big job like England came up. Gartside added: ‘Sven Goran Eriksson will be manager of England during the World Cup and beyond and only when he decides to step down will all these ideas be thrown into the melting pot. ‘But Sam has done a fantastic job. It’s there for everybody to see. From a team who were struggling in Division One we have become a team in the top half of the Premiership. ‘It’s not a concern to us that we may lose him one day. Every good thing comes to an end eventually. If we carry on with the success we are having it is obvious that Sam will continue to be noticed by people. We have to accept that as part of being a successful club. ‘I am an FA board member, so I would not and could not discourage Sam from being interested in a job like England. We will cross this bridge when we come to it but there is no point me thinking it will never happen.’ Former Notts County and Blackpool boss Allardyce, who has been at Bolton for seven years, has already admitted he would like to manage his country one day and privately believes he is ready to take over from Eriksson whenever the Swede stands down. Allardyce said recently: ‘I am not chasing Sven’s job. Of course I am not. It is his job and like any Englishman I hope he does well with the team at the World Cup next summer. ‘But I have been asked if I would like to manage my country one day and all I have said is yes. Of course I would. Who wouldn’t?’ Eriksson was at the Reebok Stadium as Bolton overcame Spurs on Monday night and has Gartside’s backing as he prepares for a tournament next summer that will effectively decide his future. But the Bolton chairman added: ‘I think Sam is one of the best in the country now. He has everything.’