MAX Clifford insisted today that Sam Allardyce had "absolutely nothing to hide" in the face of "bung" allegations.

The world famous celebrity publicist is helping the Wanderers boss fight to maintain his public image in the wake of the BBC TV Panorama documentary in which it was claimed that he received illegal payments as inducements to sign players.

Clifford, who has built a reputation as a top image consultant, aims to reverse the wave of negative publicity that has haunted Allardyce since the programme "Undercover: Football's Dirty Secrets" was screened last month.

But he says he has no doubts over his integrity or his innocence.

"Sam came to see me and said he owed it to the people of Bolton, and to other people around the country who have been supportive of him, to stand up and say exactly what he is all about and what has gone on," Clifford told The Bolton News.

"He wants to stand up and be counted and I can totally understand that.

"I don't have to improve his image though, because he's very well liked and well respected.

"He's got a big personality and he says it as he sees it. I'm exactly the same. So I'm not going to try to create change. I'm just going to try and help people see Sam for what he really is and give him a platform to answer some of the nasty things that have been said about him."

Allardyce impressed Clifford with his straight-talking manner when they held initial talks in London last week. At their next meeting they will discuss strategy, which will involve the public relations expert helping the Reebok boss get his points across in the media.

Clifford, who prides himself in having a track record that allows him to pick and choose his clients, stressed that he would not be involved if he had not been convinced of Allardyce's integrity.

"I've only met him once, but my whole life has been about making judgments of people," he said. "Sam says it as he sees it. We had a very straight conversation and he confirmed everything I suspected of him. He also confirmed what I have been told by people I know who respect him and think the world of him.

"He's got absolutely nothing to hide and, hopefully, over the next month or two we can get that message across far and wide.

"I'll be speaking to newspaper editors and TV people urging them to give him the right platform so that he can answer all the things that have been said and written about him recently.

"Image does matter. It matters to him and that is one of the reasons for him coming to me. A lot of poeple in Bolton and across the country have been good to him and he has been overwhelmed by that."

Clifford says Allardyce is not the victim of a media witch-hunt but understands why he is still being subjected to press scrutiny more than a fortnight after the screening of the Panorama programme.

"The one really big name that came out of that was Sam's, " he addded "It makes headlines and it sells papers.

"The fact of the matter is that he has two fronts to fight on - the legal side, which, of course, he has got to do, and the image side. When you are in the public spotlight, the media plays an hugely important part in you life and I'll b doing as much as I possibly can over the next few weeks to help him on that score."