Sam Allardyce has re-opened the subject of his  controversial summer transfer dealings and declared he’s sick of taking stick for signing Stewart Downing (left) rather than a striker!

The Irons boss – writing in his London Evening Standard column – opens the topic when saying he hopes  Downing can reproduce the form he’s shown over recent weeks.

He then rages: “Much of the criticism which has headed my way in recent times concerns the signing of Stewart, rather than another striker.

“I have to say I am sick of taking it. The truth, as I have repeated often, is that we couldn’t find a striker for the price we paid for Stewart.

“We went for four strikers before the deadline but, for varying reasons, we couldn’t get any of them.

We did try, both before we signed him and afterwards, to sign another striker but it didn’t work out.

“For a player of his quality, Stewart was available at a reasonable price, as he has since shown.

The window eventually shut  and then came the injury to  Andy Carroll.”