IF he could find the time, Sam Allardyce might just sit back and consider what he has achieved since he stepped into the Reebok breach little more than four years ago.

But that's a big "if" for the workaholic Wanderers' boss. He hasn't even had time yet to celebrate reaching the final of the Carling Cup -- too busy looking for reinforcements before the transfer window slams shut, while trying to ensure that his players are in the right condition, mentally as well as physically, to maintain their Premiership progress at Charlton Athletic on Saturday.

He might just find a window in his hilariously hectic schedule around the middle of next month when, thanks to their absence from the fifth round of the FA Cup, Wanderers' sunshine break in Dubai could present him with the opportunity for some quiet reflection.

Otherwise, self-assessment will have to wait until the end of the season when he takes himself off to his hideaway in Spain.

"You just can't find time for anything like that until the summer when the season's finished," Allardyce said as he prepared for another day of transfer trawling at his office at the club's Euxton training complex.

"The nature of the business is that just around the corner is the next problem. You're always trying to make sure problems don't arise or that, when they do, you can nip them in the bud; you're always planning ahead and always trying to move onwards and upwards as this club has done every year since I came here. And it's only in the summer months that you can let yourself go, wind down and look at what you've achieved."

In reality, Allardyce knows precisely what he has achieved since he arrived at the Reebok on October 26, 1999 -- his 45th birthday. Without going into specifics, he has transformed the club beyond all recognition.

His original brief was to prevent Wanderers being relegated to the Second Division. Not only did he manage that but, in his first seven months in charge, he took the club to three semi-finals -- the League Cup, FA Cup and Play-offs -- then, refusing to dwell on that treble torment, he generated a momentum the following season that saw them bounce back and clinch promotion, via a glorious play-off triumph at the Millennium Stadium, back to the Premiership.

No Bolton manager since his Ian Greaves had ever taken Wanderers into the top flight and kept them there. But Allardyce has managed to inspire a three-season streak.

That should be extended to four this year and, who knows, he might just write his name boldly in the history books as the first manager to take the club into Europe -- either as Carling Cup winners or as one of the best of the rest in the Premiership.

That might be small potatoes compared to clubs who have feasted on success but, after a total of 17 years' service -- man and boy -- Allardyce knows enough about Wanderers to understand that this generation of supporters really have never had it so good in terms of success and the quality of football on offer.

Looking forward to another trip to the Millennium and his first major cup final as either player or manager, he put things clearly into context when he said: "While in the world of football it's not really that great, it is still a major cup final for us and, in terms of what has happened at this club, it is a great boost.

"The status we have attained in the past four years is pretty good when you look at this club's history." Now that they are in the final, Wanderers desperately want to win the Carling Cup and book their route into the UEFA Cup, but the Premiership remains their priority and neither Allardyce, nor any of his players will be able to relax until they have secured the points needed to ensure their survival.

Only the most optimistic could have forecast they would have been tenth in the table with 29 points from 22 games and just eight points short of a Champions League place. But the nervous few who still choose to look down rather than up, will rightly point out that they are still only nine points clear of the drop zone!

But it is significant that, while 48 hours ago he would have clouted anybody -- players, directors, even his own wife -- daring to tempt fate by mentioning "The Final", Allardyce is now prepared to talk openly about the unprecedented success that is now within reach.

"If we can win the cup final and qualify for Europe as well as maintaining our Premiership status -- which has still to be guaranteed -- then who knows how far we can go from there?

"We must make sure we don't get carried away, of course, because just round the next corner, the game is always ready to kick you where it hurts. We'll do our best to guard against complacency and keep our feet on the ground while striving for even more success. We'll always be realistic."

For Wanderers' fans these days, being realistic gets better with every season that goes by.