One season for Sammy

No pressure already on Sam Allardyce as new owner Mike Ashley looks set to give him pretty much the same warning as Freddie used to - Europe as a minimum. With the papers today speculating Ashley might pile in as much as £400m into the club, us fans are positively licking our lips. Quoting the Sunday Sun it looks like we`ll have:

• An incredible £270 MILLION for winning the Premiership within three years and challenging for the Champions League within five years.

• Allardyce will be given £45 million to spend this summer, he will be expected to push for Champions League qualification next season . . .

• Ashley is prepared to follow Roman Abramovich's lead by parting company with Allardyce - as Chelsea's sugar-daddy did with Claudio Ranieri - after one season.

• One of Ashley`s reps said: 'Mike has huge respect for what Sam Allardyce achieved with limited resources at Bolton, but I can't stress enough just how big he hopes - and expects - Newcastle to become. Is Allardyce capable of taking the club not just up to the next level but into a whole different ballpark? That's yet to be seen. Of course, Allardyce will have the chance to prove himself. But he won't be allowed to hang around doing it. Mike wants big progress, fast.'

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