BOLTON boss Sam Allardyce is ready to prove the bookies wrong by steering newly-promoted Wanderers to Premiership survival next season.

Within hours of their play-off final victory over Preston on Monday, the bookmakers immediately installed Bolton as favourites for the drop in 12 months time.

But the canny Reebok chief insists he has what it takes to cut it with the Premiership big boys next season.

And, armed with the biggest transfer kitty he's ever had in his managerial career, he's determined to leave the doubters with egg on their face.

"I don't want to sound egotistical but I do have a decent record of making players better and my management experience has proved that," said Allardyce.

"I did that at Blackpool, Notts County and now here at Bolton and my intention is to get the players playing an extra five or 10 per cent better than they were this year.

"And, if we do that, then we've got a chance.

"We've got to be realistic and realise we're not going to be one of the best sides in the Premiership.

"So we're going to have to spend a lot more time working on the opposition, in terms of analysing their strengths and weaknesses, to enable us to get results."

Cash-strapped Wanderers were desperate for promotion to ease the financial burden on the club after feeling the strain of three seasons out of the top-flight.

But, with the club set to earn millions from the Premiership's new TV deal, the Reebok board can now look forward to a brighter future.

Yet chairman Phil Gartside insists the club must learn from the mistakes of the past.

"One of the things we did last time was try to buy success just by signing players and we don't think that's the way forward," said Gartside.

"You've got to look at the overall facilities in terms of the Academy and the scouting staff and there's a pot for each of them.

"The real difficulty is trying to strike the balance between transfers and wages because you don't want to be making five year commitments to the likes of Sol Campbell on £130,000 a week because it takes away your flexibility on other things.

"But I don't have any problems saying to Sam 'you spend what you want to spend.'

"It might not be everything he wants to be spend but I've got enough trust in him to know that whatever he does, it will be sensible.

"We don't really know exactly how much we'll get next season.

"I've spoken to several Premier League chairmen over the last few months just to get a feel for it but the figures for next year are going to be different from the figures for this year.

"So they don't know either but we seem to be getting quoted figures of anything from £10 million to £25 million."

Allardyce is likely to be handed around £10 million of that in order to bring in the five or six new faces he needs to make Wanderers into a top-flight force.

And, though shelling out on big wages goes against his nature, he admits he may have to sacrifice some of his principles in order to pull in the talent he wants.

"I don't think you can worry about that because if we have to pay the going rate and whatever's necessary then that's what we'll have to do," said Allardyce.

"None of them will probably be worth it but if you don't join the bandwagon then you don't get a player.

"So, anybody from Figo to Ronaldo has never been worth the money people have paid for them.

"But somebody else pays it so you end up having to go down that road, too, otherwise you get left with nobody."

That recruitment drive has already started with Jeff Smith agreeing to join from Bishop Auckland.

But of more pressing concern to Allardyce, however, are the futures of out of contract stars like Paul Warhurst, Dean Holdsworth, Gudni Bergsson, Robbie Elliott, Ian Marshall and Nicky Summerbee, who could all walk away for free under the Bosman ruling this summer.

He will start negotiations with them over the next few weeks but Frank Passi and John O'Kane will not be part of ther plans for next season after being released.