SAM Allardyce is no longer prepared to be the first line of defence when his players come under fire from their critics.

Now in their third successive season among the elite of the Premiership, the Reebok boss says the team must take the responsibility for their own actions - even if it means having to take the flak.

And in a sign of things to come, he has shown his highly-paid stars that he is prepared to be as vocal as anyone - if criticism is warranted.

Seething after seeing a new season plagued by an old problem, Big Sam had no qualms about using the "R" word as an early warning of what will be on the horizon if Wanderers do not mend their ways.

Counting the high cost of another last-gasp horror that allowed Blackburn to salvage a draw from 2-0 down in Saturday's Reebok derby, the manager kicked off with some straight-talking.

"We played pretty well from a football point of view but that means bugger all because it means we've taken one point out of six, which is relegation form right from the start," he said.

"Why should we talk about relegation? Well everybody else does so why shouldn't we?

"I think the players have a bigger responsibility this year so I ain't going to try to protect them too much.

"They've got to be able to make the big decisions when they are needed. It's what they are paid to do and they simply didn't get the big decisions right in the second half and that's cost us two very valuable points."

Analysing the opening game of the home programme, which was played in front

of a stadium record attendance, Allardyce criticised the "rank bad defending" that contributed to Matt Jansen pulling a goal back five minutes into the second half.

He also highlighted Wanderers' failure to score more than one goal from open play - a stunning Kevin Davies striker after Youri Djorkaeff had opened the account from the penalty spot.

But it was the loss of two more points deep into overtime when Dwight Yorke headed home Corrado Grabbi's cross that had him fuming.

"The game goes for 95 minutes and if you can't make the right decisions for 95 minutes you'll get punished in the Premiership," he said.

" It's the hardest league in the world and they'll take full advantage.

"It was about making sure we were defensively sound, just a case of dealing with one more long punt down the middle. But it was also about using the ball better when we were breaking out, getting up into the opposition half, in the corners, playing the game out or even going on to score the third because we had plenty opportunities.

"But because we don't do that we end up paying the ultimate price back at the defensive end because of individual responsibility and the 'bottle' to make the right decisions under pressure. If they can't do that they shouldn't be playing in the Premiership.

"If they carry on doing that they are not good enough, it's that simple. That's what the game's all about - pressure brings the best out of you if you're a pro footballer. If it doesn't then don't be in the game."

The result - a fifth successive Premiership draw with their Red Rose rivals - left Wanderers with just one point from their first two games and under more pressure than Allardyce had envisaged going into tomorrow's game at Portsmouth.

"That looks like a very difficult game for us now," he conceded. "If we get a point out of it it's a good result but this would still be a bad start. That's the hole the players have put themselves in and it's going to be an unbelievably difficult job to get out of it.

"If we come away from Portsmouth with a point I'll be absolutely delighted but we'll still only have two points from three games.

"All of a sudden we have to try to win a football match away from home instead of being satisfied with a draw.

"Four points from three games at this stage of the season would be a very good start but that's going to be difficult for us to do now," insisted the Wanderers boss.