SAM Allardyce told Sylvain Distin that he wasted a golden opportunity when he snubbed Wanderers three seasons ago.

The Reebok boss is a big admirer of the Manchester City captain and knows Wanderers will have to be at their best if they are to get the better of him in on Minday Night's Eastlands derby.

But he says the Frenchman would have been a better Premiership defender today, had he not been lured to Newcastle.

"If he'd come to me, he would have been much better than he is now, but he chose to go somewhere else," Allardyce said, weighing up the qualities of the one that got away.

Distin was neither the first nor the last prized catch to slip through the Wanderers net, but the fact that the manager is still sore about the circumstances surrounding the events of August, 2001, suggests he was one of the best.

"I had him nicked from me at the hotel," Allardyce said, recalling the day he was due to clinch the deal with the Paris St Germain defender, only to be told he had signed for Newcastle.

Ironically, Allardyce was attending a function in Manchester to launch the new Premiership season, when the snub came to light.

It was a harsh lesson as he prepared for his first season in the top flight.

"I've never forgiven Willie McKay for that," he said with a mischievous dig at the Monaco-based agent he has since used to good effect.

"I thought I had him but he went off to Newcastle on loan."

Distin took time to settle in the Premiership and it took a move to Manchester City the following season for him to fulfil the potential he had shown in France.

"You look at a defender like you look at a striker these days," he said, analysing the qualities that attracted him to Distin in the first place. "Blistering pace is the starting point in a central defender, if he is to compete with the best.

"He had that and he had the size to go with it. He was probably over-elaborate in possession of the ball, but that's easily coached.

"Defenders who come from France, Italy and Spain have to understand that defending in the Premiership is much different.

"If you haven't got the pace to cope with it, you can't play there.

"Sylvain always had that and he's learned how to play with the right responsibility, which encouraged Newcastle to bid for him again in January."

Despite losing the attacking threat of Shaun Wright-Phillips - one of a number of players currently unavailable because of injury or suspension - the City attack, led by a resurgent Robbie Fowler, is expected to pose Wanderers many problems tonight as the Blues try to build on last week's spirited victory at Norwich.

But Allardyce believes it is Distin and centre-back partner, Richard Dunne, who hold the key.

"The whole team has been much better organised, defensively, this year by Kevin and Faz (coach Derek Fazackerly) who was a centre-half all his life.

"That's an area he has worked on and Distin and Dunne have been outstanding"