SAM Allardyce has renewed his call for a winter break to give Premiership managers a chance to compete with their European counterparts.

The Wanderers' boss remains a fierce critic of the transfer window system, adopted in England for the first time this season, but fears it is here to stay.

His only hope is that the Premier League will step into line with the top European leagues by sanctioning a mid-season shut-down.

"If we are going to have to stay with the window they are going to have to shut the league down in January," Allardyce insisted as he approached the fourth and final week of the transfer window, still looking for a new name to add to his squad list while trying to keep focused on vital Premiership games.

"Give us a break, give us a chance for God's sake.

"It doesn't matter about the weather. This is making my job harder - and it's already hard enough."

The fact that most players he is checking out are just coming back after winter breaks in their respective countries and have not been regular first-teamers anyway is a major problem for the Wanderers boss as he tries desperately to strengthen his squad. "Before I get the best out of them we could be into single figures in terms of Premiership games that are left and that's when it becomes very dangerous," he admitted.

Allardyce had hoped to have players in by now but his strategy is being dictated by a shortage of funds and he is having to play a canny hand.

"If the club wanted to spend more we could have got them in sooner because you can stretch your money to meet the valuations, negotiate and get it done and dusted," he explained.

"When you can't do that you leave it alone but you still keep an eye on it and re-address it later if the player hasn't gone to where he thinks he may be going.

"Then you go back with a lesser offer and all of a sudden they become interested.

"It's a game of bluff. The clubs want to get the players off their wage bills because they are not playing on a regular basis and the players themselves want to leave.

"You go in with another offer that might not have suited them three weeks ago but suits them now.

"It's like stud poker. You turn a different card every day; sometimes it's an ace and sometimes it's a joker."