Mort Backs Sam
By Tyne-Talk
December 31 2007
Newcastle United chairman Chris Mort has backed manager Sam Allardyce and has dismissed rumours that he will be sacked if the next few games do not go Newcastle's way. Rumours have been sweeping the stands this week that unless Newcastle come away from their FA Cup tie with Stoke with a convincing win, Big Sam will not longer be running the show.
There has also been speculation that either former striker Alan Shearer or former Tottenham Hotspur manager Martin Jol will step in and take on Sam's role.
Mort said:
"There's a different name every week and there's no truth in it. I find all this speculation tedious,"
Mike Ashley has sat with the fans at recent matches and has a good understanding o how the fans feel about the team's current performance. Ashley, who is on his winter holidays, was unfortunately not at the match this weekend where Newcastle held Chelsea until conceding a late goal, which was clearly offside.
Mort said of the team:
"We were all very proud of the players and disappointed that we lost to what was clearly an offside goal,"
Allardyce has said he understands the criticism from the fans after Newcastle's poor performance against Wigan:
"If I was them I would be singing what they sang because we're not good enough
I know it's not good enough, so it doesn't take much for them to work out it's not good enough. They are not daft."