So all that can happen now appears to be that Big Sam turns us down.
That’s something that has happened before (twice actually) but since that snub Newcastle United’s desperation to re-join the big boys has intensified, Sunderland are about to overtake us and Sam Allardyce simply outgrew Bolton and the Reebok Stadium.
Nothing wrong with ambition is there?
And if Sam is the man, then he must have it in bucket loads if he is keen on getting the good ship Magpie back on to the water.
We are today invited to believe that a three hour lunch at swanky Claridges in London finally clinched the deal and that Toonland is about to welcome one of the more modern managers into St James’ Park.
That means ear pieces in dug-outs, tons of backroom staff, performance coaches, plenty of spaceage equipment and an eye for overseas talent.
Question marks over the tactics of Big Sam do remain but one thing is for certain, it did get him results at the Reebok – even if it is abject.
Not one for seeing balls coming down covered in snow round here are we?
But also sick of getting overturned by the likes of Sheff United, Man City or Blackburn.
In terms of an eye for talent for Big Sam.
Well, It’s not just overseas players like Ivan Campo, El-Hadji Diouf, Nicolas Anelka or Jay Jay Okacha that he took a chance on but also overage players, or at least the more experienced heads.
Gary Speed, Les Ferdinand and Youri Djorkaeff – as well as Campo and Okacha - were all supposed to be past their best but still did a job for Bolton didn’t they?
Yet it’s not just players with fine reputations for the ex-Notts County and Blackpool boss.
For every player like Campo, who had a glittering career with Real Madrid behind him, there is a Kevin Nolan or a Kevin Davies.
Nolan was shown the door at Liverpool as a kid but pinned the rejection letter on his bedroom door to motivate him every day.
Sam Allardyce got wind of this and has produced a great box to box midfielder that Newcastle would love in their ranks now.
Davies was dropped for the FA Cup final in 2002 with Southampton and deemed not good enough for the Saints before finding redemption at Bolton.
His first job will be to tempt Michael Owen into staying and sign a contract that doesn’t have the horror of a bigger-club release clause, so best of luck with that one!
Whether Allardyce is your cup of tea or not he would bring plenty of positives to St James’ Park if he can replicate what he has done at Bolton.
He’s won nowt and didn’t get the England job either and there is the Panorama epidsode.
But Brian Clough didn’t get the England job.
Kevin Keegan didn’t win a thing.
And if Newcastle do lift a trophy with Big Sam smiling at the bottom of the revamped Wembley steps next season, do you really care about an old Panorama programme that probably won’t even make UK Gold?
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