Big Sam Timeline
By Mark Heys
April 29 2007
Sam Allardyce has shown great service to Bolton Wanderers both as a player and as a manager so his departure in April 2007 is greeted with some sadness.
Here we take a look at Sam Allardyce's achievements at Bolton Wanderers over the last 35 years.
November 1971 - signs professional forms with Bolton after two years as an apprentice
November 6, 1973 - makes his first start for Bolton as a replacement for Paul Jones in a League Cup game at home to Millwall with the Wanderers losing by a 2-1 scoreline.
November 17, 1973 - plays in his first league game for the Trotters, a Division 2 encounter at home to Notts County, a club whom he later went on to manage in the late 1990's.
October 26, 1974 - scores the winner for Bolton in their 3-1 away win against York City, his first senior goal for the club.
December 27, 1975 - scores one of his greatest ever goals when powering home a header in the win over Sunderland, a club whom he later went onto play for in the early 1980's.
1975-1976 - becomes a regular at the heart of the Bolton defence alongside fellow youth graduate and good friend Paul Jones.
1976-1977 - just misses out on promotion to the First Division but Wanderers do make the League Cup Semi Finals, narrowly losing out to Everton thanks to a Bob Latchford goal at Burnden.
1978 - Misses just one league game as Bolton return to the top flight as Second division Champions.
1978-1979 - helps Bolton to consolidate their position in the First Division but misses a large part of the season through injury.
Summer 1980 - Joins Sunderland for a fee of around £150,000 and goes onto captain the Wearsiders
Summer 1985 - after spells in the NASL with Tampa Bay and stints with Coventry City, Millwall and Huddersfield Town, Allardyce is one of five new summer recruits made by manager Charlie Wright joining Asa Hartford, Derek Scott and David Cross in an otherwise youthful Wanderers team.
August 24, 1985 - makes his second Bolton debut when partnering Dave Sutton at the heart of the Bolton defence for a Third Division game away at Doncaster Rovers
December 1985 - applies to succeed Charlie Wright as Bolton Wanderers player/manager but loses out to Liverpool full back Phil Neal.
June 1992 - hopes to make it second time lucky in replacing Neal as Wanderers manager but club give role to former Middlesbrough and Millwall manager Bruce Rioch.
October 19, 1999 - on his 45th birthday and after agreeing compensation with Notts County, Allardyce becomes Bolton's 20th post war manager.
October 19, 1999 - oversees first match as two Rodney Jack goals help Crewe Alexandra to a 2-2 draw at the Reebok Stadium in the old First Division. Eidur Gudjohnsen and Dean Holdsworth had looked to have made it a winning start for Allardyce.
October 24, 1999 - his first time in the dugout sees Norwich City score late on in a 2-1 success at Carrow Road, masterminded by ex-Wanderers manager Bruce Rioch
October 30, 1999 - a midweek fixture against relegation threatened Swindon Town yields Allardyce's first win as Bolton manager thanks to goals from Bob Taylor and Bo Hansen.
November 1999 - his first signings as manager are Everton duo Gareth Farrelly and John O'Kane, both of whom initially arrive at the Reebok Stadium on a loan basis.
January 2000 - loses out to Tranmere Rovers in a 4-0 aggregate scoreline in the Worthington Cup.
April 2, 2000 - a Dean Holdsworth miss in extra time and two penalty misses from Michael Johansen and Allan Johnston deny Allardyce his first FA Cup Final as a manager as Aston Villa run out winners in the Semi Finals at Wembley Stadium.
May 28, 2001 - Goals from Gareth Farrelly, Michael Ricketts and Ricardo Gardner give Allardyce his first success as Wanderers manager as they defeat his old club Preston North End in the Play Off Finals
August 18, 2001 - An opening day Premiership win away at Leicester City exceeded expectations as Allardyce made a rampant start to life as a Premiership manager. Bolton won 5-0 thanks to doubles from Per Frandsen and Kevin Nolan as well as a fine strike from Michael Ricketts.
September 2001 - Former European Cup Winners Cup winner Bruno N'Gotty agrees to join Wanderers from Olympique Marseille.
October 20, 2001 - Bolton achieve the unthinkable as a late Michael Ricketts goal helps them to a 2-1 win over Premiership champions Manchester United at Old Trafford
February 2002 - Allardyce completes his biggest Bolton signing yet with the arrival of France World Cup winner Youri Djorkaeff.
April 6, 2002 - A Fredi Bobic hat trick against Ipswich Town sees Wanderers and Allardyce maintain their Premiership status.
Summer 2002 - Nigerian playmaker Jay-Jay Okocha stuns the football world by leaving Paris Saint Germain for Bolton.
September 11, 2002 - Bolton win at Old Trafford again, this time a Kevin Nolan goal guns down Manchester United.
April 19, 2003 - A Jay-Jay Okocha wonder strike against West Ham United almost seals Bolton's Premiership place for another season. It is the Hammers who eventually go down to Birmingham City on the final day of the season.
May 11, 2003 - Goals from Per Frandsen and Jay-Jay Okocha help Bolton survive relegation with a end of season 2-1 win over Middlesbrough, ex-Wanderer Michael Ricketts threatens to disrupt the Bolton party.
August 2003 - Allardyce completes the signing of former Golden Boot winner Mario Jardel but despite big expectations the former FC Porto man moves on after just one season.
February 29, 2004 - Bolton under Allardyce reach their first major cup final when facing Steve McClaren's Middlesbrough in the Carling Cup Final in Cardiff. Joseph Desire Job and Bolo Zenden give Boro an early lead and Kevin Davies goal isn't enough to give Bolton their first piece of major silverware since 1958.
Summer 2004 - Real Madrid legend Fernando Hierro signs for Bolton in a one year agreement. Chairman Phil Gartside rebuffs an approach from Newcastle United for Allardyce.
May 7, 2005 - An El-Hadji Diouf goal seals Bolton's place in the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history following a tight game away at Portsmouth.
September 15, 2005 - Lokomotiv Plovdiv of Bulgaria are the first UEFA Cup visitors to the Reebok Stadium but goals from Jared Borgetti and El-Hadji Diouf make sure Allardyce's first European game ends in victory. Bolton win the 2nd leg by 2-1 and therefore go through
December 2005 - Bolton qualify for the final stages of the UEFA Cup after drawing with Sevilla, Guimaraes and Besiktas and defeating Russian side Zenit St Petersburg at the Reebok Stadium.
February 23, 2006 - A Franck Ribery header ends Bolton's hopes of UEFA Cup progession as Olympique Marseille win by 2-1 at the Stade Velodrome despite Stelios Giannakopoulos firing Bolton into an early lead.
Summer 2006 - is intervied for the England National team job but eventually loses out to Middlesbrough's Steve McClaren.
August 2006 - Allardyce makes Frenchman Nicolas Anelka the most expensive signing in Bolton history when agreeing to pay £8 million to Fenerbahce for the one time Arsenal and Manchester City forward.
September 19, 2006 - Allardyce is accused of taking illegal payments for transfers following a programme conducted by the BBC's panaroma. No wrongdoings where found by Big Sam but the input of son Craig as an agent caused a great bleamish on the Allardyce family name.
April 29, 2007 - After disappointing league form throughout 2007 and impending rumours over a possible switch to local rivals Manchester City, Allardyce resigns from his position as Bolton manager citing personal reasons.