‘Big Sam gets a bad rap as a bit of a dinosaur, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He was ahead of the curve on many things – I loved playing for him’: Ex-Bolton star sets record straight on Allardyce

Sam Allardyce, ex-Bolton manager
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Sam Allardyce is often criticised for his tactical approach as a manager, though former Bolton Wanderers left-back Robbie Elliott highlights how those negative labels couldn’t be further from the truth.

Elliott joined Bolton in 1997, becoming the club’s record signing after moving from Newcastle United in a £2.5m deal. With the prospect of more regular first team football and Bolton starting the 1997/98 season at their brand-new Reebok Stadium, optimism surrounded Elliott as he moved away from his boyhood side.

That proved short-lived, however. Just 30 minutes into his debut – and the first-ever game at the Reebok – Elliott broke his leg in two places. He failed to make another appearance for the rest of the season, with Bolton relegated on goal difference despite having picked up the supposedly magic 40 points.

Robbie Elliott of Bolton Wanderers (Image credit: Getty Images)”It was a really difficult one to swallow,” Elliott tells FourFourTwo. “And it was compounded by us getting relegated on goal difference at the end of the campaign.

“But I always try to see the positive in things. When it was confirmed I’d be out for a long time, I went back to university to study sports science. I didn’t want to reach the end of my career, at 33 or 34, and think, ‘Crap, what do I do now?’ So, I got a degree and was ready for the next chapter when my playing career ended.

“Being able to focus on those studies helped me to stay upbeat in a tough period.”

Fortunately, that injury didn’t rule Elliott out of a career playing in the game. He made his return in October 1998, helping Bolton reach the 1999 play-off final at the end of the season, which they lost to Watford as they narrowly missed out on an immediate return to the Premier League.

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Sam Allardyce hailed as ‘creative’ by Elliott

Allardyce introduced new ideas at Bolton (Image credit: Adam Fradgley – AMA via Getty Images)Elliott soon had new management to impress, too, with Colin Todd resigning seven games into the 1999/00 campaign following the sale of Per Frandsen to Blackburn. That saw Sam Allardyce take over at Bolton, with the Englishman leading them to three semi-finals in 2000. But while all three ended in defeat, Elliott highlights the misconceptions people have of Allardyce.

“Sam gets a bad rap as a bit of a dinosaur, but that couldn’t be further from the truth,’ Elliott says. “He was way ahead of the curve on so many things. We were one of the first clubs to use Prozone and in-depth analytics. He was very creative.

“The season before we went up [in 2000/01], we reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup, the League Cup and the play-offs, before falling just short in all three. That was crushing. It speaks volumes about Sam’s motivation that we were galvanised to go again and do even better the next year. I loved playing for Sam.”

But while Bolton were preparing for their return to the Premier League in 2001, Elliott instead decided to return to Newcastle on a free transfer, following the expiry of his contract.

“It was [a tricky decision], as we had just achieved something brilliant at Bolton,” Elliott adds. “But it was Newcastle – my club.

“I probably would’ve said no to anyone else, but not to Newcastle, especially with Sir Bobby Robson in charge. He had that aura about him – and no matter how you were playing, whether you were fit or out of form, he would always ask you how you were, how your family members were and how things at home were. He had everyone’s full respect.

“He was a fantastic manager but also a true gentleman, and I loved him so much. I was thrilled to be back.”

Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture’s websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.