Allardyce named Newcastle manager

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NEWCASTLE, England -- Sam Allardyce has been named as manager of Newcastle United, in succession to Glenn Roeder.

In a statement to the London stock exchange, the Premier League club said the former Bolton Wanderers manager had been given a three-year contract.

Allardyce arrived at St James' Park by helicopter for talks with chairman Freddy Shepherd and was formally introduced at a news conference.

"There was a couple of years past where there was the opportunity (to join Newcastle) which I declined at the time," Allardyce told reporters.

"Now I feel ready to go, ready to try and implement into Newcastle what I did at Bolton for the last seven years -- try to bring equal an amount of success if not more.

"It hasn't had the best of success in recent years and I hope I can turn that around, to make sure that the fans and the city get what it's been looking for a long time," Allardyce said.

"That's either a trophy or qualifying for Europe."

With Allardyce's arrival, there are questions over the futures of several Newcastle stars including England striker Michael Owen, who spent 10 months of the season on the sidelines with a knee injury and is being linked with a move.

There is also speculation that former Inter Milan striker Obafemi Martins could leave. "The speculation around Michael will be resolved once we get to speak to him," Allardyce said. "You wouldn't want to lose your leading goalscorers and there are two fantastic goalscorers we want to keep at the club."

Roeder left Newcastle earlier this month after a disappointing season which ended with the club in 13th place having registered their lowest Premiership points total, 43.

Stepped down

Allardyce stepped down from his position as Bolton manager on April 29 after eight successful years with the cash-strapped Lancashire outfit.

Allardyce joined Bolton as a defender in 1973 and was a member of the side which won the Second Division title in 1977-78 to secure promotion to the First Division.

He moved to Sunderland and made 26 appearances during the 1980-81 season, before having spells with Huddersfield Town, Coventry City, Millwall and Preston North End, whom he captained to promotion from the Fourth Division in 1986-87.

Allardyce played in the North American Soccer League for the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

His managerial career began as assistant to Brian Talbot at West Bromwich Albion in February 1989 but two years later the pair were sacked after poor results.

Allardyce became player/manager of Limerick and guided the League of Ireland team to promotion in 1991-92, his only season at the club.

He then returned to England at Preston North End for the start of the 1992-93 season, as coach/assistant manager under Les Chapman.

When Chapman was sacked after 10 matches Allardyce became caretaker manager, but although the club turned in some impressive performances, he was not given the post on a permanent basis.

Instead he resumed his coaching duties when John Beck and assistant Gary Peters were appointed.

In 1994 Allardyce took the manager's job at local rivals Blackpool where his reward for guiding them to their most successful season for years was to be sacked when they missed promotion by losing in the playoff semifinals.

Having won 2-0 away to Bradford City in the first leg they lost the return at home 3-0.

In January 1997 he was back as a manager at Division Two basement club Notts County. They were relegated but finished top of Division Three at the end of the 1997-98 season.

The team broke a number of records, winning the title by 19 points and becoming the first post-war side to clinch promotion in mid-March.

In September 1999 he returned to Bolton as manager and has helped to establish them as one of the leading English Premier League sides outside the acknowledged top four.

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