Portsmouth boss Paul Hart and Blackburn counterpart Sam Allardyce will not have much time for the beautiful game when the two old foes meet with Premier League survival the prize at Ewood Park.

Hart, whose team still need one more win to secure top-flight status, admits: "I'm not sure who is the ugliest, me or Sam. But either way we've both inherited similar situations and made our teams more resilient, more difficult to beat.

"If he uses the big lad Chris Samba in attack again he'll come up against our two big lads Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin and it won't be very pleasing on the eye, possibly even brutal.

"But as a player I well recall I had to mark Big Sam playing for Blackpool against Bolton in front of 20,000 in the Second Division. We were both centre-backs but when he came up for a corner I think Sam started his run-up from the halfway line.

"Obviously I usually came out on top but Sam's become a top manager. He did a terrific job at Bolton, even taking them into Europe. If he was still at Newcastle maybe they wouldn't be in the situation they are in now."