SAM Allardyce has told Jay Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo they only have themselves to blame for being relegated to the Reebok substitutes' bench.

Both have been central figures in Wanderers' soaraway success but now, with the club on the threshold of Europe, two of the most recognisable figures in Premiership football are no longer automatic choices.

Campo has lost his place to his former Real Madrid team-mate, Fernando Hierro, while Okocha, the talismanic captain, also had to watch from the bench as Hierro, Gary Speed and Kevin Nolan formed the midfield trio when Wanderers beat Norwich at the Reebok a fortnight ago.

Allardyce says that is a measure of the strength of his squad as he pitches for a Champions League spot.

"They just have to put up with it and cope with it," he said in typically blunt fashion. "They have lost their places because of themselves and not because of me.

"They can blame me, like they all do, but really Ivan and Jay Jay have not performed to the level we know they can and ultimately haven't played as many games as we wanted them to.

"That's about them and other players in the squad who have overtaken them.

"It might only be for a short period but it's making life difficult for them to get back in the team and I find that a really healthy situation."

Allardyce is satisfied he now has the strength in depth to enable him to rotate his squad as he mounts a serious challenge for a Champions League place.

"I've always seen the top end of the Premiership as being about rotating and moving players in and out on a regular basis," he said. "To be able to do that and still win football matches is a testament to the rest of the players and a challenge for Jay Jay and Ivan to see that they are not as big icons now as they were, perhaps, last year or the year before that.

"That shows the football club is growing in its stature when two players, who are still very talented and very important, are now having to produce on a more regular basis than before, just to sustain their places.

"That's a little bit disappointing for them but great for us in a team game in which we are all pulling together.

"When they do get the opportunity, I would expect to see the best of them and not see them out of the side again because they'll know the demands being placed on them by the players waiting behind."

Both Okocha and Campo have had their injury problems - the captain having a series of niggling complaints like the hamstring injury that caused him to miss the FA Cup quarter-final against Arsenal, while Campo was sidelined for four weeks after suffering a serious facial injury in an accidental clash of heads with Gary Speed in the victory over Crystal Palace in mid-October.

The Spaniard has struggled, form-wise, since the lay-off but Allardyce sees no reason for him not being back to his best.

"Psychologically it's been a big barrier for Ivan to overcome," he said. "But he's had enough time and he had his best game of the season against Arsenal here (January 15)."

Allardyce suggested Okocha and Campo had become victims of the success they have helped bring to the club.

"I think the pair of them have to realise they have been targeted as our key players because of their past performances," the manager added. "They are the players who have made our system tick and they have been tightly marked and closed down.

"Now they have to cope with the success they have helped bring to the football club."