SAM Allardyce admits Jay-Jay Okocha has surpassed all his expectations.

The Wanderers manager believed the Nigerian World Cup star would bring individual brilliance to his side.

What he did not expect was the huge effectiveness and responsibility he has produced at the Reebok Stadium.

Allardyce is in no doubt Okocha is the most skillful player he has ever worked with.

But he had little doubt about that side of the midfielder's game when he signed him in the summer.

What has surprised him has been his massive end product which Allardyce believes would have earned him a move to one of Europe's biggest clubs had they thought he was capable of it.

"He has produced more of what we want than I thought he would when I brought him here," Allardyce admitted.

"Massive clubs have not signed him because they thought he was not effective enough or could produce enough. But I have found that is not the case at all.

"His effectiveness for the team has been huge and so has the responsibility he has taken.

"He doesn't hide. When things are not going well he produces more and does more for the team. He accepts he has a responsibility for the team and ups his levels like he did against City and against Birmingham.

"In those situations he has kicked on and produced more.

"I know the person now and he is

not just a great player but a great person and that is a very important part of his make-up.

"He accepts responsibility for himself and for others. He is not just an entertainer but a team player."

Tomorrow's trip to Stamford Bridge will see an intriguing battle of natural ability between Okocha and Gianfranco Zola.

The Chelsea veteran is arguably the most legendary foreigner ever to play in the Premiership but Allardyce believes Okocha is better, apart from one crucial department.

"Zola is a better goalscorer," said the Reebok manager. "They are different players in that Zola is a front line player and Jay-Jay is a midfielder.

"If Zola does anything better than Jay-Jay it is probably his final ball but Jay-Jay is probably better at everything else."

One area of Okocha's game Allardyce believes is potentially negative is the showboating which opposition players might interpret as mocking.

He explains: "That kind of thing is all right for the fans but maybe it is not all right for us or Jay-Jay.

"I want him to live up to his reputation as an outstanding footballer who can destroy teams with his skills and not as someone who shows off.

"To be fair it wasn't putting us in any danger but I much prefer to see his skills put to use to beat defenders and create goals.

"He was unbelievable against City.

"His skills for most of the game were a fantastic delight but showboating for me has never been in the equation as a manager or as a player. You have to be careful when you do things like he did against City because you have to look out for what is coming if you take the mickey out of other players."

Allardyce admits that pairing Okocha with another super-skilled creative force in Youri Djorkaeff is unusual in that it could leave gaps on the defensive side.

But he explains: "When you are lucky enough to sign players with the quality of those two you have to make it work."