Sam Allardyce and Nicholas Anelka

I haven't blogged for a couple of days and lots of interesting things have happened in the English Premier League. Sam Allardyce has been sacked by Newcastle United.

Now OK, you know I am a Bolton Wanderers supporter - and I know that you probably had little interest in footy before you became a Bolton Wanderers supporter by proxy, but you need to get up to speed here - why am I interested in the sacking of Newcastle's manager?

Well, until two matches before the end of last season Sam Allardyce was Bolton's manager and had been since 19 October 1999, nineteen months later Sam had guided Bolton Wanderers into the Premier League and there they have stayed!

The split between the Wanderers and Sam was, how can I put this, not so much acrimonious but mistifying - I don't understand why he left with just two games to go; having gone, giving the reason that he needed a break from football, two weeks later he became Newcastle manager saying that two weeks was long enough. When he became Newcastle's manager he said he would not be raiding his old club for players or back-room staff and then he did.

Some Bolton supporters are glad that he has been sacked at Newcastle and feel he deserves it - I can't subscribe to that, he did an awful lot for Bolton and I, for one, wish him well - and I think Newcastle United's board are very short-sighted in coming to this decision.

The other big event is that Bolton have sold Nicholas Anelka to Chelsea for 15 million quid. It's OK having that much money but we have just sold our top goalscorer and we have a game against Blackburn tomorrow and we could do with getting some goals. I hope the board spend the money improving the team, but, come the end of January the transfer window closes and clubs are not allowed to buy anyone else until the season ends in May. If we haven't got ourselves someone who can score goals by the end of January we could easily find ourselves dropping out of the Premier League by May - 15 million quid in the bank will be scant consolation.