That is why he is keen for his Blackburn side to kick on and secure their status, starting against Hull at Ewood Park tonight.

The former Newcastle and Bolton boss wants his players to stay strong in the coming weeks when the heat will be on.

He said: "A manager's job is so difficult today. When the money gets bigger, the fall-out gets greater.

"Then the pressure is asserted on you and more importantly on the players. You have to make sure you stay in the Premier League and then go on from there. It is important you cope with that pressure and not buckle.

"So many teams over the years looked as though they were in a reasonably good position. Then all of sudden they've not been able to cope. They've fallen down and fallen out of the league.

"You have to make sure you are not one of those teams. You have to be strong mentally and physically coming into the final stages of the season."

Chris Samba will sit out the match and the next home game with Bolton after being sent off by referee Steve Bennett at Stoke following two yellow cards.

It is the second time he has been dismissed this season and Allardyce claims the defender is not getting the rub of the green.

He said: "We will lose Chris for two vital games after an unjust decision. When you see some of the tackles that went unpunished last weekend, he was unfairly treated.

"Because there is no form of appeal, you are harshly punished again for something that should not have happened.

"I did a bit of research and it seems big boys get booked more than the smaller ones. That is going to go against Chris as he is 6f 5in and he can't hide anywhere."

Blackburn will mark the death of a supporter when they face Hull.

There will be a minute's silence before the match with players wearing black armbands out of respect to John Steven Taylor.

He died of a head wound while attending the game against Stoke on Saturday at the Britannia Stadium.