Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has described the "magical" journey that he took with Bolton Wanderers chairman Phil Gartside, who yesterday died of cancer at the age of 63.
Under Gartside's stewardship, Allardyce led Bolton into the Premier League before establishing them as a top-flight outfit and then guiding them into Europe during a successful eight-year partnership.
When asked about his memories of working with Gartside, Allardyce told reporters: "From the point of view of how long I have known Phil and the family, it was obviously devastating news for them and for me.
"I was aware of the illness before, but kept that very close to myself. But obviously my condolences go out to the family.
"My memories are great - even though later on, we may not have seen eye-to-eye - but certainly the journey we took from 1999 to 2007 was magical. We took that journey together and basically rebuilt a football club that achieved great success, so those are the memories I'll remember of Phil."
Allardyce left Bolton in April 2007, when he was head-hunted by Sunderland's bitter North-East rivals Newcastle United.
Pascal Lemesre
