Former Southampton striker Kevin Davies backs Sam Allardyce to be a big England success

Kevin Davies was snapped up by Allardyce when he was Bolton boss in the summer of 2003, after the player had been released on a free by Saints manager Gordon Strachan.

Davies went on to be a mainstay of Allardyce's Bolton side – who finished sixth in the Premier League in 2005 and qualified for the UEFA Cup as a result - and is delighted to see his old boss land the biggest job of his life.

The appointment comes 10 years after he first went close to becoming England manager and while Steve McClaren, Fabio Capello and Roy Hodgson have all failed to bring glory to the Three Lions in the past decade, Davies believes Allardyce has spent the time honing his own plans.

"I'm sure he's going to be a success," Davies, who won a solitary England cap under Capello, said.

"I think this is something he's been thinking about for a number of years. I feel he has plans in place.

“Looking at our tournament failures I think he knows already what he feels has gone wrong and how he can make it better for us.

"The first thing that strikes you about him is his ambition, his determination to be the best, and that filters through to his players."

Allardyce has never managed a Champions League-level club, a fact that some doubters suggest counts against him on the international stage, but Davies is confident the 61-year-old has what it takes.

"He's one of those managers you want to play for," he said. "He's got that character about him, he's a big personality.

"He knows when to push, when to give the carrot, when to crack the whip. His man-management skills for me - and I've worked under a dozen or so managers - are second to none."