Sam Allardyce Reflects On 'Miraculous' Time At Blackburn Rovers

"When you can sit down on the beach, listening to the sea rolling in, and reflect on what happened from December until the end of the season, it was a greater achievement than I originally thought it was."

The financial constraints faced by Rovers were the main obstacle to be overcome, and it is that aspect of things that Allardyce feels is most worthy of highlighting, especially given the injuries the club suffered.

"That's based on many things, like the fact that we spent less than anybody else," he add

"Tottenham threw another £40m at it, Stoke City threw another £10m at it, and Hull City threw six or seven million at it, whilst we just got Dioufy [El Hadji Diouf] for a million and took Gael Givet on loan.

"That, when you reflect on it, shows you how big an achievement it was by everybody.

"On top of that, there was also the injuries we incurred. Steven Reid was already out, then we lost Brett Emerton for the rest of the season, Roque [Santa Cruz] for the rest of the season, and David Dunn for the rest of the season with still many games to go.

"That meant the likes of Givet and Dioufy became even more influential than I initially thought they would.

"The rest of the lads who came and stood in also deserve special praise - people like Keith Andrews who in his first season jumping from MK Dons to the Premier League contributed in 33 games and played in different positions.

"So the whole team deserves a lot of credit, and that chance to reflect gives us a great deal of confidence going into the new season."

Zack Wilson, Goal.com