SOME men are born to be great, others have greatness thrust upon them.

And some men, such as Sam Allardyce, find themselves competing against the greatest, knowing they may never get the reward their talent deserves.

Having served his apprenticeship in the lower divisions, Big Sam is widely regarded as one of the best managers in the Premiership -- some say a future England boss. But he reckons he will never be seen as a "great" manager as long as he stays with Wanderers.

It sounds a critical assessment, not only of the club's current status but of its potential to challenge for major honours.

But the Bolton boss is a realist and, having been associated with the club and the town since he was 15 years old, he knows better than anyone the limits to what Wanderers can achieve.

He has a great affection for the club, and a sense of loyalty to the town and its people, but no one should be under any illusions ... managing Bolton Wanderers might have been a dream appointment, but he still aspires to be considered the equal of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger.

And while the appointment of Graeme Souness on Monday put an end to speculation that the Reebok boss might join Newcastle, his admission that he came "quite close" to leaving Wanderers -- and the honesty with which he spoke of his personal and professional ambitions -- suggests that it may only be a temporary reprieve.

The rub is that the more success he brings to Wanderers, the more job offers Allardyce is going to attract. And sooner or later, he is going to be tempted.

He may or may not live to regret saying "no" to Newcastle, a club that has been starved of success in modern times, but which has the potential to challenge for the top honours and the resources to compete at the highest level of the transfer market.

Only half way through his 10-year contract, Allardyce agreed with his chairman, Phil Gartside, that there was still work to be done and progress to be made at the Reebok Stadium, but he knows that he works in a precarious profession.

What, he wonders, would be the mood in the town if, after five years of success, things were to turn sour?

In yet another dig at his directors for not generating enough funds to strengthen his squad in the way he would like, he voiced his fears that the club could pay a high price for becoming an established Premiership force.

At the end of a week during which eight of his players were on international duty, Allardyce pondered the worst-case scenario: "All that needs to happen is for four of our international players to come back with long-term injuries and not be available for selection between now and January.

"That would devastate this squad and, after three victories in the first four games, we might not get another victory in 10."

Unlikely as that might sound, Allardyce did not have far to look for an example of how the Premiership can punish teams who, for whatever reason, are not fully focused.

He added: "Manchester City last year believed that, after taking 18 points from 10 games, they had a good enough squad to push for Europe. They openly said so.

"Then they didn't win a Premiership match in 15." While Allardyce has built a reputation for working on a modest budget, he is worried that, sooner or later, he will pay a heavy price for not being allowed to make a significant investment in his playing squad.

"Finding great players in football these days is hugely difficult," he said. "Finding them for very little money on a short-term basis is a dangerous policy."

For all his frustrations over finance, Allardyce expects Wanderers to be competing in the top half of the Premiership and, all being well, he should be around for a while to continue his work in helping reshape a club that was in turmoil when he arrived five years ago.

And Wanderers fans should at least be relieved to know that the club's most successful manager in almost half-a-century is, for the time being at least, happy with his lot.

Giving one of the clearest insights into why he was not tempted when Newcastle came calling, he said: "When the world of football is sacking managers left, right and centre, I can take heart from the fact that I wake up in the morning secure in the knowledge that I am Sam Allardyce and I have a 10-year contract.

"The chairman told me he expected me to honour it. I believe you have to show some loyalty in such circumstances -- to build not only for the short term, but also for the long-term future of the club."