EXCLUSIVE by Gordon Sharrock: Dean Holdsworth has urged Sam Allardyce to ignore the snipers and keep up the good work.

The former Reebok striker, who was a member of the infamous Wimbledon 'Crazy Gang', says the best way his old boss can answer the critics is by continuing to keep Wanderers at the top of the Premiership tree.

Big Sam, already embroiled in a spat with BBC Radio Five Live over commentator Alan Green's "ugly" football remarks, was subjected to another wave of attacks on his playing methods following Saturday's ill-tempered derby draw at Blackburn.

Rovers manager, Mark Hughes, accused Wanderers of attempting to intimidate his volatile midfielder, Robbie Savage, and complained that his team had not been allowed to play the football they wanted to make the game "a more exciting spectacle".

But Holdsworth, who sees similarities between how Wanderers are being pilloried now and the way Wimbledon were branded in the Nineties, says Allardyce should not let the pundits get to him.

"Forget what Alan Green or anyone else says," said the former Reebok favourite. "Sam's a winner.

"He should just do what we did at Wimbledon, stick two fingers up at the critics and treat it as a compliment that people don't want to play against his team."

Holdsworth spent five Premiership years at Wimbledon, helping the least fashionable club in London, under their high profile chairman and owner, Sam Hamman, and successive managers, repeatedly punch above their weight. A Southern League club until 1977, they had 14 consecutive years of top flight football, including the fairytale FA Cup triumph of 1988, but their methods were lambasted by their rivals, the pundits and the football purists.

Nevertheless, when Holdsworth joined Wanderers for £3.5 million in October 1997, he was one of a handful of the so-called "Crazy Gang" who changed hands in big money transfers.

Now at Derby County, where he is assistant to Allardyce's former sidekick, Phil Brown, the former England B international says there are interesting parallels to be drawn.

"You only need to look where Bolton are in the league," Holdsworth said. "It just shows that whatever team Sam's sending out and whatever football they are playing is effective.

"Just look at how long and how well they've survived, like Wimbledon did, and check out the two squads both full of internationals.

"It seems Bolton are suffering now the way we did at Wimbledon and it's not justified. A couple of critics had a go and suddenly everyone jumped on the bandwagon. The trouble is that the mud sticks.

"The important things was the fans respected us and, although they never liked admitting it, other teams respected us.

"If Wimbledon were so bad, how come they sold so many of their players for £2m to £5m? That wasn't a fluke, it showed that other managers respected their talents.

"We never gave a monkey's anyway. We just took it with a pinch of salt. The critics are paid to criticise and that's what they do. It doesn't mean that they are right.

"Possibly the problem lies with Alan Green."

Holdsworth, who scored 49 goals for Wanderers in 186 games before leaving for Coventry in December 2002, is delighted to see his old team riding high in the Premiership.

"Never mind the critics, just look at the faccts, " he added. "When I was at Wimbledon we never finished lower than 14th and look at where Bolton are.

"You can't argue with that."