Big Sam bigs up Banana man

Sam Allardyce has acknowledged that his best bit of summer business was getting Morten Gamst Pedersen to stay at the club.

Morten was on the cusp of leaving the club for nothing in the summer but decided to stay on at Ewood and could even be here long enough now to earn a testimonial.

The Norwegian is also bang in form having scored 4 goals in 4 games - something that Allardyce reckons makes him worth up to £10 million in today's over inflated transfer market.

Allardyce spoke to the BBC and said - "That shows what a key signing it was. We signed a free transfer this summer worth in today`s market about eight to 10 million quid.

"A 28-year-old who has played about 200 Premier League games, scores goals, gets the ball in the box. Where can you find one of them now?

"Everyone said his goal against Wigan was a fluke. It is like one of those old stories, one of the big boys does it and it is genius and we do it and it is a fluke.

"It is typical of what we have to put up with now but that is not a fluke. He puts it in the right areas constantly and he has put another in the back of the net for the second time in three games. Brilliant."

Sam does admit that Morten is not quite at the level of his early days at Rovers but is not far off of reaching those heady heights.

"It is not the best I have seen Morten play. I have come and watched him when he played here in his earlier days.

"I have spent many times at clubs I have been managing, two or three days, on stopping the quality he has.

"I have seen him play very, very well but he is getting closer and closer to that form because there are goals coming on the end of his good performances."

Knock Sam all you want but what he said about Pedersen re-signing in the summer was absolutely 100% spot on.

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