IT MIGHT sound like a tabloid headline writers’ dream, but when Glenn Roeder uttered Bolton Wanderers, long ball and ugly football in the same breath yesterday, he was in fact talking up the credentials of Sam Allardyce as the next Newcastle United manager.

In an ideal world, Allardyce would see his career progress via Soho Square, rather than Tyneside, but, with Martin O’Neill the favourite to replace Sven-Göran Eriksson as England head coach after the World Cup finals, this afternoon’s Barclays Premiership meeting at St James’ Park will be seen as the ideal opportunity to gauge the reaction of the Geordie nation to their next potential leader.

After four wins from five games as caretaker-manager, Roeder would be regarded as a prime contender to succeed Graeme Souness on a permanent basis had he not already ruled himself out of the running. Instead the former West Ham United manager has, like many a Newcastle supporter, been mulling over the potential candidates and finds himself enthused by the idea of Allardyce, a man who turned down the job prior to Souness’s ill-fated reign.

“Their football has been described as ugly,” Roeder said. “But what is ugly? Yes, Bolton play a lot of long balls, but I’ve watched them closely and most of those balls are good passes. Sam has led Bolton into Europe this season and he will get the best out of whichever players he works with. He’s been touted as a future manager of this club and that’s not a surprise. He has also proved he can adapt his style to the players he has at his disposal.

“Newcastle has a history of teams that are exciting to watch. The supporters expect their teams to play in a certain style and want to be entertained. But the fact that Sam has got a player like Jay-Jay Okocha in his team and someone who scores goals from midfield like Kevin Nolan is proof that he does like to play football.”

Allardyce has always said as much, arguing that, with the financial constraints at the Reebok Stadium, Bolton could not dream of outperforming clubs such as Newcastle without showing what he would call “flexibility” in their tactical approach and without the type of organisation, particularly at set-pieces, that is marvelled when it comes from Chelsea.

There is a long-standing feeling at Bolton that they do not get the credit they deserve and, while Allardyce’s stock is rising, there is a growing sense of discontent at the club that Nolan, their captain, continues to be overlooked by Eriksson.

“If he keeps doing what he’s doing, it will only be a matter of time,” Gary Speed, the Bolton and former Newcastle midfield player, said. “But it doesn’t help that he’s playing for this club. People have a perception of the club.”

As well as scoring ten goals from midfield this season, Nolan has added more to his all-round game. Perhaps he could discuss his frustrations this afternoon with Scott Parker, the Newcastle midfield player, and another who has been left wondering what he must do to attract Eriksson’s attention.

One Newcastle player certain to be in England’s World Cup squad, fitness permitting, is Michael Owen. He has stepped up his training, two months after suffering a fractured metatarsal, and could return for the FA Cup quarter-final against Chelsea on March 22.