Sam Allardyce is facing the first crisis of his Newcastle reign
with Mark Hughes lurking in the shadows.
Big Sam and his team were booed and abused at St James' Park after
yesterday's humiliating 4-1 thrashing by Portsmouth. Hundreds of
fans walked out after just 11 minutes as Newcastle went 3-0 down,
sending a clear message to chairman Mike Ashley.
Allardyce issued a groveling apology, admitting: "I'm devastated.
We were rubbish and that is the most disappointing thing,
especially for the fans who expected a lot more than they got
today. For me it is about rolling up my sleeves and making sure
there is not another performance like that this season."
Sources close to Ashley claim there will be no knee-jerk reaction
from the boardroom but the chairman is hugely unimpressed with
recent performances.
The billionaire is known to be an admirer of Blackburn boss
Hughes.
