VAN DER SAR THE YONNER

Bolton would have signed David Beckham had he been interested. "He was a consideration, and I always ask the question, because if you don't, you'll never know. I asked David, but he said the LA thing was too good to turn down. He'd have been great for us. We've gained a reputation as a market force in recent years through the players we've brought here: Diouf, Anelka, Campo, Hierro, N'Gotty, Okocha, Djorkaeff. All their various countries now watch our football, and that's helped us build a reputation abroad.

"It would have been a major piece of business if we could have attracted Beckham, but Sir Alex [Ferguson] was right. Having played for Manchester United, I don't think he had the desire to come home, not to Bolton, anyway. Chelsea, Arsenal or Tottenham, maybe, but nobody else."

Allardyce tried to recruit David Dunn from Birmingham to bolster his midfield, only to have him "nicked" by Blackburn at the last moment. "That can happen unless you get them to sign a contract straight away," he said. "We've put players in a hotel overnight, after agreeing to sign for us, and when we've called to pick them up the next morning, they've gone elsewhere. One is playing in goal for Manchester United [Edwin van der Sar]."